Old Nights and New Days
by ofsilver
Summary: After seven years, can Jack and an old cohort reunite, or is revenge in store for Jack? And how does Catherine Flynn explain her death? R&R!
1. A Change of Costume

Disclaimer: I own a real, actually-from-a-theater POTC poster, but nothing else, unfortunately.

Chapter One: A Change of Costume

"Do we just keep on pretending/And hope our luck is neverending?" (The Libertines)

Catherine Flynn awoke alone in the huge master bedroom of her home in Port Royal. The day would be very warm, she could tell already, but her hands and feet were cold. They always were. She pushed back the shroud of mosquito netting around her bed and stood up slowly, stretching. Pulling her dark hair back into a bun, she rummaged in the back of her wardrobe until she found a nondescript leather sack. She pulled it out eagerly, and spread its contents over the unmade bed.

The leather bag didn't contain things that were usually found in society homes. In fact, it contained things that had probably never been in another society home. Cat's bag held a complete set of pirate's clothes.

There were a pair of black pants, made of light silk and tied off at the calf, black boots to tuck them into, a fitted black camisole and a loose red shirt to go over it. There were also the numerous accessories; a floppy, wide brimmed black hat, a low slung belt with a pistol and a dagger, an old red bandana and a surprising amount of jewelry. Feeling around the in corners of the bag, Cat also extracted a stick of kohl. Now she was ready to go.

She put on the pirate clothes and looked herself over in the gilt edged mirror across the room. It was a familiar image to her, no different than one she'd seen seven years ago in her cabin each morning. The sun streaks had faded from her hair, and her tan was slightly less severe than it had been, but that would return over time. As she slipped on a few rings, she studied her hands. They were the biggest change. Her fingers had always been tapered and thin, but they'd been a bit rough from living on a ship. Now they were lady's hands, fine and cultured.

Walking away, she noticed that her bearing was a lady's as well. Her hampered footsteps looked ridiculous in the pirate's clothing, and she had to think for a moment to remember how to walk properly. She eventually managed a very passable swagger and smiled.

"Think of -" she began to say to herself, then dropped off sharply. Cat sighed and finished packing.

Opening the wardrobe again, she found a favorite black dress and a pair matching shoes and crammed them into her now empty bag. The rest of her fine clothes were pulled out and stuffed into a large trunk, which she forced shut with some difficulty and dragged to the door.

She moved on to the vanity and emptied her jewelry box into the bag. Alexander had always been something of a fool. He doted on her and bought her every jewel he could find. But there was no remorse in her mind as she took the many necklaces and rings. Take what you can…

The final thing Cat did was empty the hidden safe in the bedroom. There were a few bags of gold coins, and some random papers that Cat pushed aside until she found the ones she wanted. The deed to the fastest ship in the Powell fleet, and her and Alexander's marriage certificate. Cramming both into her pockets along with the gold, she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the Powell mansion.

Cat dragged the larger trunk along behind her until she reached a cliff near the edge of the property. She opened it and took a final look at all her lady's dresses; fine satins, silks and linens. Shutting it with a mixed feeling of disgust and regret, she pushed the whole trunk over the cliff. It broke apart on the rocks in the water below, and the sea became a rainbow of fine fabric. Seven years of high fashion, seven years of parties, seven years of planning, seven years of being Catherine Powell, had finally come to an end.

Almost as an afterthought, Cat dug into her pocket and found the marriage certificate. She struck a match against the heel of her boot and held it to the paper's corner. It ignited instantly, fueled by the swift breeze on the cliff's edge. Cat watched it until her name had burned away, then dropped the flaming paper into the ocean to join her clothes.

Catherine Powell, wife of shipping mogul Alexander Powell, was gone, and Captain Cat Flynn, of the newly christened Blue Moon, was back.

Cat hurried down to the docks from the high cliff, and quickly spotted her new ship. It had been the fastest in Alexander's fleet, the Reward. But Alexander hadn't been home for three months, and now it was the Blue Moon. Cat's newly hired crew, most of them old friends, had been surreptitiously renovating the ship since his departure. It had a new paint job, dark, midnight blue and a new name. And of course a new flag, although it wasn't flying yet. Cat walked up the gangplank quickly and found her crew hard at work, readying for the voyage.

"I'm looking for the first mate of this ship!" Cat yelled as she walked up to the helm.

"Aye firs' mate Cullen at your service!" a voice answered from somewhere on the deck.

On hearing their captain's voice for the first time in seven years, the crew had quickly assembled on the deck below the helm. Cat stood above them, and smiled.

"It's good to see you, Captain!" Jim Cullen, Cat's first mate since the first day she sailed, was the first to speak. A chorus of welcomes followed from the rest of the crew, all familiar faces.

"And it's good to be back!" their captain said after a few minutes. "What are we waiting for? First voyage in seven years, let's make it a good one! Raise the main sail, Jones. The rest of you, get back to work. Jim, run up the flag. We're making Tortuga by sunrise tomorrow!"

The Blue Moon turned smoothly out of Port Royal's harbor. As the sails filled with the wind that would carry them to Tortuga, a new flag flew from the top mast. Cat watched the familiar skull and crossbones rise and ripple in the wind. It was good to be home.


	2. Old Haunts

Disclaimer: Yeah. It's all mine.

Chapter Two: Old Haunts

"Many's the life we lived there each day/And buried altogether" (Keane)

The Blue Moon didn't reach Tortuga by sunrise, it was a two day voyage for an optimist. But Cat was on the deck when the familiar town appeared on the horizon. She smiled at the thought of returning to the places she hadn't seen in years. Seven years of dreadful society parties made her yearn for the company of her old friends.

Cat spent the day outfitting her ship for the voyage with things that the crew hadn't been able to find in Port Royal. The hours fled by and evening fell over the dirty streets of the town. The night sky was reflected back on the ocean when Cat found her way into the Thief's Pocket, the tavern she'd spent many a night in years ago.

Most of the faces inside were unfamiliar. There had been news, even in Port Royal, of the capture of some of the best pirates in the Caribbean. Among them were stories of the capture and hanging of some of Cat's oldest friends. Yes, Travers' old seat was empty tonight. So was Reynolds'. Cat paused a moment and pressed her lips together. Seven years was a long time. She chose a corner seat in the shadows and ordered a rum. It would be wise to observe for a while.

The brim of Cat's wide hat shadowed her face almost entirely, and that was the way she wanted it. She leaned even further into the shadows. The best way to hear news was to overhear it. Cat sipped lazily at her rum and waited patiently.

At first, the crowd was somewhat thin. No one Cat knew was in the tavern at the time, and it disappointed her. She had hoped to see someone she knew. Anyone.

"-Sparrow. Aye, he's comin' in tomorrow night, if the weather holds. Lookin' for somethin'. Won't say what, but it be somethin' important. When Sparrow can keep 'is mouth shut, it's somethin' important."

The name had caught Cat's attention. A short man standing near her was speaking to a woman carrying a tray. She strained to hear his comments, but the talk turned away from the topic. Cat leaned back in her seat again. So Sparrow was coming to Tortuga, was he? This was certainly well timed.

Cat finished her rum and tossed a few coins on the table. Scanning the room for a final time, she decided it was time to go. She was disappointed. None of the old crowd was there anymore. When she thought about it, most of the old crowd would never be there again. They'd all been captains together; her, Reynolds, Travers, Ana and Jack. Once.

Reynolds and Travers were dead of course, courtesy of Commodore Norrington and his blighted officers. Ana was long gone. Word had it she'd left for the Mediterranean last fall, with no intention of returning. Cat herself had been gone for seven years. And Jack-well, Jack was around somewhere. She'd always expected he would be. But two was a very sad number from the once invincible five that had begun with such high hopes years ago. Cat was the youngest, only 20 when they all set out to be captains in the Caribbean, but she felt old very suddenly. She left the Thief's Pocket before her spirits sank any further.

Cat walked down the streets until she reached the harbor, then turned away from the town and walked down the beach. She left her boots by one of the pilings next to the Blue Moon and curled her toes in the cool sand. This was a well worn trail for her.

About a mile down the beach, a huge palm tree grew alone in the sand. It was too dark to see, but Cat ran her hands over the rough bark until she found the scars left there nine years ago.

There was a uneven box, and five sets of initials. JS, CF, TR, HT, AP. Jack Sparrow, Cat Flynn, Tim Reynolds, Harry Travers and Anamaria Peters. Cat traced the jagged letters with the tip of a finger. She remembered the night they'd all done this…

They'd been dead drunk, of course. Especially Jack, but when wasn't he? The taverns were closed for the night, and they were all stuck in Tortuga. A storm was blowing in from the Atlantic, and no one dared leave the safety of the port. The five friends walked down the beach together, singing a song they didn't know the words to, when Jack ran into a tree.

"Bloody hell," he muttered in annoyance. He pulled out a small dagger from his boot and stuck it in the palm's rough bark.

"That'll teach it, Jack," Cat said, laughing.

"I was carvin' my initials in the bloody tree," Jack said, waving his free hand around wildly. In a moment, he had indeed carved a messy JS into the bark.

"It's not that bad of an idea," Reynolds said, fishing around his pockets for a knife. "We could all do it."

"Aye, people'll come look at it when we're the most fearsome pirates in the whole bloody Caribbean," Ana added, pulling out a dagger of her own.

The plan caught on, and soon there were five uneven sets of initials on the tree's trunk. The five pirates stepped back, leaning on each other a bit, and surveyed their work.

"Very fine, in my opinion," Jack said.

"Aye," Travers agreed. "But I don't think that's quite good enough. I think we're needing a pact of some sort."

"There's the pirate's code," Ana put in.

"That's not worth the water in the Voleur's bilge, Ana, and you know it," Cat said.

"Aye, we need a real code," Jack decided. "Just ourselves."

"No one falls behind when we sail together, no matter what the bally code says," Reynolds began.

"Only friends," Cat said, glancing at herself, and Ana. "Never anything else," she turned her gaze to Jack, Harry and Tim.

Everyone looked at Jack expectantly. "Drink rum," he said lightly. "And stick to the code. That's enough rules."

Each nodded, and Cat pulled out a tiny, sharp dagger from her pocket. Its blade glinted in the moonlight. She pinched the skin on the pad of her left thumb until it was numb, and cut a tiny 5 into her hand.

"Give me your hands," she said to the rest. One by one, she nicked a miniscule 5 into each of their thumbs. When all were done, they pressed their fingers together, and then onto the trunk of the tree. There was a moment of solemn silence, and they turned away from the tree and walked seriously down the beach.

The moon came out and the writing on the tree came into focus in the darkness. Cat looked down at her left hand, where the pale scar was clear on her thumb. She ran her finger over the raised skin, and closed her eyes a moment, thinking. Little had they known, nine years ago on this same beach, that every rule of the code would be broken. And Jack and Cat were the worst offenders.


	3. The Last Meeting

Disclaimer: I own a laptop and a pony. No pirates.

Chapter Three: The Last Meeting

"I was right at the start/'bout the seeds of the weeds/that grew in your heart"

(Dirty Pretty Things)

Cat returned sadly to the Blue Moon, pausing to pick up her boots along the way. The crew was out in Tortuga, and they would be until early the next morning. The ship's decks were silent and deserted and it only added to the desolate mood she was in.

It had occurred to Cat in the tavern that maybe seven years was too long. Maybe she should have just stayed as Catherine Powell and lived her life out as Alexander's wife. What had she come back for anyway? Harry and Tim were long gone, so was Ana. And she didn't know why she'd ever want to see Jack again. Unless it was for revenge. So many things had changed since the last time she was in Tortuga. Cat went to the helm and sat down, leaning against the base of the wheel. She curled her arms around her drawn up knees and thought once again of better times.

It had been two years since the five pirates had carved their initials into the lone palm tree on the Tortuga beach. They were all in town again, and it was their last night. The next day, Harry, Ana and Tim were setting sail for Puerto Mancho off the coast of Panama. Jack and Cat were leaving as well, for the Leeward Islands and the chance for Captain Alban's treasure. The mood was bright around their usual table in the Thief's Pocket.

"You're going to Panama?" Jack said to Harry. "Really mate, I would've gone to Singapore. Clearly you've never been there though."

"Shut up Jack," Cat replied. "We only ended up there because you lost the damn compass for a week and a half."

"That was a bloody disaster," Ana added. They'd all gone far out of the way last summer thanks to Jack's mishandling of the navigating tools. Jack was the only one who seemed to have enjoyed their little detour.

"It was a great town," Jack insisted. "Full of…" He tried to think of something excusable to say.

"Whores?" Cat put in sweetly.

"Rum?" Ana suggested.

"Never mind that," Jack finally said. "Just let it go. We're not going anywhere near Singapore this time. Sadly."

Cat shot him a look across the table but didn't say anything. She took a sip of her rum and sat the glass down.

"When're you three leaving tomorrow?" she asked Tim.

"'Round eight, I think," he replied.

"Eight?" Harry said in shock. "What time are you going in mate?"

"Make that ten."

"Bloody smart too," Jack put in. "We're leaving at noon, eh luv?"

"Don't call me luv," Cat said, and kicked his shin under the table. Jack jumped out of his chair, then tried to look unruffled.

"Well, I'm off for a bit. Got a couple things to do before we haul anchor tomorrow."

He put his hands in his pockets and swaggered away. Cat and the rest watched him exit. When they turned back to the table Ana said, "Ten shillings says he's going to Madam Delia's."

They all nodded knowingly and Harry spoke next.

"I can' believe you're going out alone with Jack, Cat."

"Why?"

"It's…Jack," Harry said as though that should explain things.

"I know it is," Cat said.

"It's _Jack_," Ana repeated, giving Cat a meaningful glance.

Cat's green eyes, opaquely jade, narrowed. "Oh, I see now. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Never."

"You don't know that," Tim said pointedly.

"Aye, I do. We've got the code after all," Cat insisted.

"If you say so," Ana said, but Cat could tell that her friend had no faith in her. Or maybe she had no faith in Jack. Either way, Cat was tired of being considered one of Jack's future dalliances, and stood up to leave.

"I'll see you before you sail tomorrow," she said, dropping a couple coins on the table to pay for her drink. "I'm going back to the Voleur."

Her friends bid her goodnight, and Cat returned to her ship. She went down to the captain's cabin and laid back on the bed, falling asleep quickly. Back in the tavern, Tim, Harry and Ana still sat around the table.

"Ten shillings says she lasts three days," Ana said, smiling.

"What?" Harry said.

"Ten shillings," Ana repeated, "says that Cat lasts three days with Jack. You both know what'll happen."

"I have more faith in Cat that that" Tim put in. "She won't break the code."

"Listen to yourself," Ana insisted. "It's Jack and Cat. You all saw this coming. The only thing that's been keeping 'em apart is the three of us."

Harry and Tim seemed to consider this briefly. They slowly nodded and a smile spread across Ana's face. Harry took a contemplative sip of rum and spoke.

"Aye, you're right. I give her four days though."

"Aye, four," Tim echoed.

They all sat in silence considering this, then left the tavern and split up to spend their last night in town.

Cat and Jack stood on the dock the next morning, seeing off their three friends as they set sail. Actually, Cat stood. Jack leaned miserably against a mooring post, rubbing his head. After they waved to the three captains on their ships, Cat turned to Jack and shook her head.

"Stupid," she muttered.

"What?"

"I was just saying, it was bloody stupid to get yourself so hung over. We're sailing at noon whether you feel like it or not."

Jack looked at her with bloodshot eyes, squinting painfully in the bright morning sun.

"Fine, fine," he mumbled. "Noon. Bloody hell."

He shuffled away to his ship, pausing to take a final glance at the distant shape of their friends' vessels. Cat did the same and then turned away to go to the Voleur. She might have stayed on the dock a bit longer if she'd known she'd never see them again.

"They always talk about hindsight," Cat muttered, stretching and standing up to go to her cabin. Memories weren't always pleasant. She hoped for better dreams.

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Present-day Jack will be appearing very shortly.


	4. Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: It's like 97 degrees here today. All I own is an air conditioner.

Chapter Four: Familiar Faces

"Come on home, come on home, but don't forget to leave" (Franz Ferdinand)

Jack Sparrow had very low expectations of this visit to Tortuga. At least his arrival was a bit grander than the time before. His ship was still floating when he reached the harbor. The lights of the taverns cast a glow over the streets as he walked up from the docks.

On a whim, he came into town through a different route than usual. The way he'd come years ago. He passed by the Thief's Pocket and stepped in for a moment. Nostalgia never hurt anyone. The faces inside were somewhat familiar, and he ordered a drink and sat down at one of the battered wooden tables. Soon he had found a few friends and was chatting cheerily, waving his hands about in classic Jack fashion.

Cat was back in her corner for the second night in a row. She had remembered the man's comments about Jack's return, and situated herself in a strategic place. Chances were, she would see him before he saw her. Not that Jack would have noticed her if she'd sat in the middle of the room, the drunken idiot, she thought to herself.

Her hat was low over her eyes again, and she'd tucked her thick hair up under it to make herself less conspicuous. Female pirates weren't all that common, and she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Better to wait and see.

She saw Jack the moment he stepped through the door. He was certainly conspicuous enough. Ridiculous hat, wild hair, flamboyant gestures; he hadn't changed at all. Cat watched Jack order the first of many rums and sit down with a crowd of people she didn't know. She was too far away to hear his conversation, but she was sure it was some tall tale of one of his "brilliant" acts of piracy.

The night wore on, and Cat still didn't make any move to speak to Jack. First off, she wasn't sure what she'd say to him. And furthermore, she really didn't want a huge crowd around when she did explain. Telling her story to one person would be difficult enough, never mind recounting it to an entire crowd of strangers.

It was nearly two in the morning when the group around Jack finally thinned out. He was left alone at the table, drinking what must have been his tenth rum of the night, when Cat finally decided that this was, in his words, the opportune moment.

She went the long way around the room, out of his line of sight, and quietly stood behind his chair. The night was warm, but her hands, as always, were cold. Remembering an old trick that always annoyed Jack, she raised her hands up silently and put her ice cold fingers on the back of his neck.

Jack shuddered violently and wheeled around in his chair, spilling the glass of rum he'd been holding. His eyes were already exaggerated with kohl, and they were huge with shock.

"What the…" he began loudly, but his voice dropped off as he saw Cat's face. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Jack stood up uncertainly, leaning on his chair. A smile formed on Cat's face. This was priceless.

"Hello Jack," she said casually.

Jack blinked a few times, as though he was trying to convince himself she wasn't there. He finally gasped out, "But, you're dead."

"Am I?" Cat mused. "I really should try to keep up on these things I guess. Seems it's off to the graveyard for me then, eh?"

"Wait a minute," Jack seemed to be trying to collect his thoughts a bit. "You're not dead?"

"Make up your mind," Cat said coolly. "Am I or aren't I?"

"Dammit!" Jack said suddenly, waving a hand in front of her face. "I don't bloody know! What are you doing here!"

The few customers remaining in the tavern were looking at the pair, and the last thing Cat wanted was to draw attention to her supposedly dead self.

"Come on," she hissed at Jack, and pulled him out of the room by the wrist.

Jack followed obediently, but ushered her back into an alley as soon as they were outside.

"What the hell is this!" he said, his voice hushed but extremely annoyed.

"Not happy to see me?" Cat replied jokingly. "I thought you'd be a bit more enthusiastic after seven years, Jack."

Cat looked at him in wonder. Jack hadn't been silent for this long the entire time she'd known him. "Are you alright?"

"Aye, fine…" Jack said, looking half dazed. "But, you're dead."

"I think we can safely say I'm not," Cat pointed out. "No thanks to you."

"What is all this? How did you get here?" Jack's drunken mind was racing. He'd seen Cat die, seven years ago. What was she doing in Tortuga?

"I came back to where I'm from. It took me seven years, but I came back."

"How?"

Jack looked about as ready to listen as someone in a coma, and Cat didn't want to have to tell her story to him twice. She looked at Jack sharply.

"The Pearl's in the harbor, right?" she asked.

"Aye, of course."

"I'll come see you tomorrow then, and you'll hear all about it."

"But-" Jack began.

"I'll see you tomorrow Jack!" Cat called over her shoulder, walking away. Jack watched her go, too drunk to chase after her.

"But…you're dead…" he mumbled, and wandered back into the Thief's Pocket for a final drink.

AN: Huzzah, Jack has finally arrived! Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!


	5. Rule Number One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except tickets for POTC 2 on Friday. And honestly, that's all I need.

AN: Happy 4th to my American readers! To the international crowd…well, enjoy the day anyway and hope that I don't burn anything down with fireworks tonight. Also, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!

Chapter Five: Rule Number One

"I kind of always knew I'd end up your ex-girlfriend" (No Doubt)

Jack and Cat sailed at noon the day they set off for Captain Alban's treasure, and nothing could have been better. The seas were calm, the weather was flawless, the wind was blowing in the right direction. Cat stood at the Voleur's helm on the afternoon of the second day. Her hands rested carelessly on the wheel, in places worn to the shape of her fingers. She pulled her hat down lower over her eyes to shade some of the glitter from the ocean, and adjusted the wheel fractionally. It had been a perfect start to the voyage.

No mention had ever been made of Ana, Harry and Tim's conversation regarding Jack and Cat. She was consequentially utterly oblivious to the situation. The three other pirates, and maybe even Jack himself, could have suspected that Jack and Cat could never remain "just friends," but it didn't occur to her. Cat had known Jack far too long, and there was the code. Yes, she thought he was good-looking. There was some appeal about him that she couldn't pinpoint. But Cat had self restraint, and she wasn't stupid. Her mind firmly believed that she and Jack could and would be only friends, and nothing clouded her thoughts when a message was shouted across from the Pearl.

"Cat!" Jack yelled from the helm of his own ship. He waved an arm unnecessarily, for Cat had already seen him.

"Aye?" she replied loudly.

"Why don't you come over here later and have a rum or two? Bloody boring the last couple nights."

Cat smiled sardonically, but it wasn't visible from Jack's point of view. "What, missing Tortuga already? When we're there you can't wait to leave, and when we leave you can't wait to go back!"

"Whatever you say," Jack admonished. "Are you coming or not?"

"Aye, I'll come!" Cat answered.

"The sooner the better, you hear?" Jack yelled, but he was being called away by Gibbs to attend to something, and Cat didn't have a chance to say any more.

There were several things to be done on the Voleur, and Cat couldn't get away from her captain's duties until it was completely dark. She found a rope that had been rigged for boarding ships during battles and tossed the end across to the Pearl, where it wound around the railing. Gripping the rope firmly, she climbed across the narrow void between the two ships and jumped casually onto the deck.

"Very nice," Gibbs commented as he walked by.

Jack appeared from somewhere. "Bloody show off," he said, smiling. "You could've used a plank to come."

"What fun would that have been?" Cat replied. "You would have done the same thing."

"Well…I would have," Jack said. He led the way from the rail to below decks, where the Pearl's crew was gathered around the galley table playing cards. There were two empty seats near the table's head, and Jack and Cat filled them while someone at the far end dealt. A bottle of rum sat at the middle of the table like a bizarre centerpiece, and Jack poured Cat a mug full while they waited for the game to begin.

Unlike Cat's crew, who weren't much for cards, the crew of the Pearl were avid poker players. The game continued late into the night, although the stakes were never high. One by one, the crew dropped out of the game and retired to their quarters. The hour passed midnight, and only Jack, Cat and Gibbs remained at the table.

"I call," Gibbs said. He laid his cards down. "Two pair."

Jack had folded in this hand. "Four of a kind," Cat replied, spreading out her cards to reveal four sevens.

"Bloody hell," Gibbs muttered. He, like the other two, was a bit worse for all the rum he'd had. Pushing his small pile of coins to Cat, he stood up, swaying noticeably, and left the galley. Only Jack and Cat remained, seated side by side at the end of the long table.

Jack picked up the bottle of rum to pour himself another glass, but it was empty. He looked at it as though it was the bottle's fault, then plunked it down on the wooden table. Pushing back his chair, he stood and waved at Cat to follow him.

"There's an extra bottle in my cabin," he explained as they walked crookedly down the hall.

They found the spare bottle and sat in Jack's cabin for a while, too lazy to go back to the galley. Jack was sitting backwards on a chair, leaning on its back, with a mug of rum dangling carelessly from one hand. He occasionally sloshed a bit out as he moved his hands when he spoke. Cat sat in another chair nearby, tipping it back on two legs with her feet propped on the end of Jack's bed.

"You realize we've been captains together for two years now?" she asked. Her mind was a bit fuzzy, and this had just dawned on her.

"Aye. Bloody long time," Jack replied. "What are you doing being a pirate anyway? You look more like some sort of lady to me."

"That was insulting," Cat said, not really insulted. She knew she didn't exactly look like a fearsome pirate captain, being somewhat short and, well, ladylike. She brushed off Jack's comment and spoke lightly, her voice slurred by alcohol. "I'm gonna be one of the fiercest pirates in the whole bloody Caribbean. You watch, in a few years, you'll be shaking in your boots at the sound of my name."

"I highly doubt that. Even if you are a good captain, Captain Jack Sparrow fears no one."

"That could be your problem, stupid git. You'll change your tune when Norrington has his whole bloody fleet after you."

"He never will," Jack argued. "The Pearl can beat any ship in the whole damn Caribbean."

"I highly doubt that," Cat said mockingly. "Well, I'd better get back to the Voleur. We're aiming for Alban's treasure by next week, aye?"

"Aye," Jack agreed.

Cat tried to make an exit, but in her inebriated state couldn't manage it. She overturned her precariously balanced chair and fell to the wooden floor with a resounding clatter. Jack offered her a casual hand, snickering all the while, and pulled her off the floor. Unfortunately, he was as drunk as she was. They swayed for a moment, and both fell over this time.

Jack broke Cat's fall, and neither was hurt at all. In fact, in their state, it was hilarious. They were, quite literally, rolling on the floor in laughter. In an unlucky motion, they ran into each other.

"Hello lass," Jack slurred, his face half an inch from Cat's. He smiled and looked at her with unfocused eyes. Cat was still laughing, but Jack looked suddenly serious. He leaned in to fill the narrow gap between them and kissed her.

In her cloudy mind, nothing was odd about being kissed by Jack. In fact, it was very enjoyable. Cat wondered idly why she'd never noticed how handsome Jack was before. She kissed him back without a second thought, and didn't even have a moment's consideration when Jack pulled her off the floor and into bed.

Cat awoke the next morning in an unfamiliar place. It took her tired mind a moment to realize she was in Jack's bed, and a moment more to realize that the arm around her was his. At first she smiled a bit, but the grin faded off her face when her eye caught a glimpse of Jack's hand, lying palm up on the sheet. The white scar on his thumb was clearly visible against his dark tan. Cat raised her hand and looked at her own thumb. There, in relief against her skin, was a reminder of the pact she and Jack had broken.

In a very different place, the cabin of the Blue Moon, Cat awoke from an unsettling, dream filled sleep. She hadn't wanted to remember Jack that way. The last thing she needed was a memory that would draw her to him again, just when she had to stay away. Cat ran a hand over her face, and the scar on her thumb seemed more pronounced than ever against her skin. She dropped her hand and tried to make herself think of something other than the pact or Jack, or, anything really. She finally managed to drift back to sleep, wishing desperately for only darkness.

AN: Well, there's chapter five. Drop me a review if you liked it! Alright…I'm off for some good old fashioned fun with explosives!


	6. A Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't even own a witty line to put in this disclaimer space.

AN: Hello all. Now that I've managed to pick my jaw up off the floor after Pirates 2 I can do an update. So….here goes.

Chapter Six: A Nightmare

"I'm getting better at fighting the future/Someday you'll be fine/Yes I'll be just fine" (Motion City Soundtrack)

Cat and Jack were on the Pearl, and the sun was burning hot. So hot the wood of the railing made Cat recoil when she leaned on it. They were just getting into a boat to leave the Pearl for a lush, green island nearby. The Voleur, Cat's ship, was floating a bit farther out from the island, there being only a narrow inlet into the lagoon where the Pearl was anchored. Cat studied the island as Jack got into the boat, then followed, seating herself behind him.

The rowing was easy when divided among the ten people in the small craft, and the island was reached quickly. It was nameless, since only one person had ever traveled there before. Captain Alban. He had left a treasure there, but had never returned for it. That was what Cat and Jack were doing.

The crew dragged the boat onto the glaring, sandy beach, and followed Jack into the dark, palm shaded interior of the island. A cave was set in the side of the island's lone hill, and Jack stopped before it. He peered into the darkness carefully.

"Here it is."

"Aye," Cat replied, waiting for him to say something relevant.

"I guess we should go in."

"That would seem to be the idea at hand."

Without further remark, Jack retrieved a lantern from one of the crew members standing nearby and led the way into the black cave. For a while, sunlight filtered through the dank air, but soon only the lantern was brightening the space. It illuminated a narrow strip directly in front of the pair as they walked endlessly forward into the darkness.

"Are you sure this is the only cave on the island?" Cat asked when it seemed they'd gone an impossible distance.

"Aye, this is the one we want," Jack replied, his voice echoing back from the top of the cave to repeat the statement. "Trust me."

"Did you just say trust me?" Cat said, laughing. "Trust the pirate. Aye, there's a good idea."

This bit of bickering was normal between them, and Jack answered amiably. "You can always trust a dishonest man-" he began.

"To be dishonest, I know. Just keep going, I want to find this treasure."

They walked a few minutes more. The rough rock walls of the cave seemed to slowly spread apart, until the pirates reached an open chamber at the back. It was dreadfully dark, and at first neither one saw anything in the space.

"Bloody hell," Jack muttered, walking forward slowly. "This blighted treasure had better be here or I'll-"

He didn't finish, because a sudden thud from Cat's direction caught his attention. Jack turned around sharply and directed the lantern toward her. Cat had run into the treasure in the dark. It was housed in an old wooden trunk, rotting away in the damp air of the cave, and the rusted lock came off without a key. There was a scramble for who would open the trunk's lid, which Cat won by kicking Jack in the knee. While he was grasping his leg melodramatically, she cracked the lid open slowly.

"You broke my leg!" Jack said, faking severe pain.

"Shut up, pansy. Come and look," she replied.

Jack hurried over, his leg miraculously better, and peered into the trunk with Cat. A mound of gold glittered in the dim lantern light. It was a small fortune in Spanish coins. Cat had just picked up the first one when she noticed that a new light seemed to be glowing in the cave.

She turned around swiftly, just in time to hear a familiar, gravelly voice.

"What have we here," it intoned from the shadows. "If it don't be Jack Sparrow and his little whore, Cat Flynn."

"I'm no one's whore, Knowles," Cat said quietly, her voice muffled by mixed fear and hatred. "Least of all Captain Sparrow's. And while you're at it, you'd best remember it's Captain Flynn."

Jack had moved away from the trunk, and stepped up beside Cat. "What are you doing here, Knowles?" he asked, his voice saturated with loathing. "Last time we saw the likes of you, you were bloody plastered in Tortuga and not looking' fit to sail anything, even that floating wreck you call a ship."

"Shut up, Sparrow, and get out of my way. I'm not here to see you," Captain Knowles turned to face Cat more squarely. "I'm here to see her."

Cat shuddered unwittingly at the harshness of his voice. She had tried to forget the events of two years ago, when she'd left Knowles' cruelly run ship to set out on her own. He obviously had not.

"You abandoned my crew, you little slut," he drawled. "And took a fair bit of my gold with you."

"Perhaps if you hadn't treated me like some bloody wench from Tortuga, I would have stayed," Cat replied, her voice still sounding small in the cave.

"You'll wish I would be so kind by the time this is over," Knowles said, taking a slow step toward her. Cat recoiled in shock, pulling the cutlass from her belt. She brandished it expertly in front of her, but Knowles didn't pull out his own blade as she had expected. Instead, he aimed a rusty pistol at her from point-blank range. Cat nearly gasped, but remained silent. Her vision seemed cloudy suddenly, her reactions slowed. She had no chance against Knowles with his gun. She was debating dropping the cutlass and trying to find her own pistol, tucked away in her waistband, when Jack came from seemingly nowhere and stood between her and Knowles.

"Let us go," he said calmly. "And you can have the treasure over there. It's obviously more than one bloody person can carry off a ship in their pockets. Consider it a trade, an accord."

"I'm not here for compensation, Sparrow, I'm here for revenge. And I'll be more than willing to make you a part of my plans if you don't get out of the way."

Jack lunged suddenly, stupidly for the pistol, and Knowles fired without aiming. The bullet missed Jack, who was off to one side. Cat was less lucky. The shot caught her in the arm, and threw her to the ground. Her head glanced painfully off the sharp corner of the trunk as she fell.

The last thing Cat remembered seeing was the light of the lanterns retreating as Knowles pursued Jack out of the cave. On the beach the crew was waiting, and they would overtake Knowles easily. But Cat didn't know this. Her last thought was that something was running down her neck. She touched her skin tentatively, and was surprised to feel warm blood on her cool fingers, dripping from the wound on her head. Then her mind clouded over and plummeted into darkness.

The sun flooding her cabin awoke Cat this time. The day was warm, a perfect summer morning in the Caribbean. But Cat was drenched in cold sweat.

AN: Well…there it is. Thanks to the reviewers from the last chapter! I'm off to Scotland for vacation, so look for the next update around the 22, I think.


	7. Back on the Pearl

Disclaimer: I own pictures of me at the Madame Tussaud's Pirates exhibit in London. They bring me endless hours of amusement.

AN: New chapter finally…thanks to the people who've been reviewing! Keep it up!

Chapter Seven: Back on the Pearl

"Maybe everything that dies someday comes back" (Bruce Springsteen)

Cat sat up and took a few deep breaths. The sheets were tangled around her legs, and she unwound them slowly and got out of bed. Alexander had often found her this way. The dream of Captain Knowles and the island was horribly common. She rubbed her face with her cold hands and wandered over to the pitcher in the cabin to get a glass of water.

After getting dressed Cat felt much calmer. She made the bed, smoothing the wrinkled sheets, and went out onto the Moon's deck. The crew was up already, cleaning the decks, storing away food and supplies. It was as normal as could be. The water was brilliantly shiny in the morning sun as Cat looked out over the harbor.

She spotted the Pearl easily; its black sails stood out starkly against the rest of the ships'. Jack was bloody foolish about them in Cat's opinion. The last thing a pirate wanted to do was draw attention to their ship. But of course, being Jack, he had had to do something flamboyant. So the Pearl had had black sails since he'd started sailing. Still musing over the idiocy of this, Cat made her way off the Moon and across the harbor.

The Pearl was silent, and Cat wandered aimlessly around the deck for several minutes looking for some sign of life. She finally ventured below decks and found Gibbs in the galley. He stood up at the sound of someone coming in, then sat down again in shock when he saw who it was.

"Cat?" Gibbs said uncertainly, blinking erratically.

"It's me," she replied. "Good to see you again."

"But, but, you're dead."

"I wish people would stop telling me that," Cat said jokingly. "It gets depressing."

"I, er," Gibbs stammered.

"In his cabin," Gibbs managed to say, pointing to the hallway.

Cat went down the hall a bit, and found Jack's cabin easily. The Pearl was familiar to her. She went to open the door, but found it locked.

"Really, Jack, who's going to try and get into your cabin?" she muttered to herself. Cat pulled a knife from her boot and picked the lock with the tip. She replaced the knife and opened the door silently.

The grace she'd learned as a lady came in handy. Cat snuck across the room soundlessly until she was standing directly above Jack. He looked rather worse for the wear, and the pervasive smell of rum hung about the room, mingled with the ever present scent of salt water. Cat was contemplating the best way of waking Jack up when she happened to look at his pillow.

One of his hands was tucked under it, and it was balled up into a fist. A crinkled piece of paper stuck out between his fingers. Cat tugged at it tentatively, seeing if she could get it away and look at it, but Jack pulled his hand back, muttering something about monkeys in his sleep.

Cat smiled. She knew the perfect way to wake him up. Leaning over, she took the hat off his head very, very carefully, and replaced her own with it. Jack's eyes snapped open at even the slight disturbance, pupils wide and blurred into the dark brown around them.

"I told you no mangoes in the…" he began irrationally, but fell silent when he saw Cat. He gave her a very serious look, in spite of the fact that he was cringing painfully in the light.

"Give me the hat," he said flatly.

"Good morning to you too," Cat replied, dodging his random swipe at the hat.

"Morning, aye," Jack said. He lay back down and closed his eyes, obviously feeling the effects of last night's rum. "Good, optional."

"Perhaps if you limited the rum to say, four or five gallons, you'd feel a bit better," Cat pointed out helpfully.

"Thank you m'dear, I'll remember that in the future," the pirate replied with a sardonic smile. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I told you I was coming back today," Cat said. She suddenly realized that she was talking a bit too much like a lady, and remembered that she no longer needed her formal accent. "Didn't I?"

"Aye, you're right you did," Jack said, rubbing his eyes. "All right go ahead out and let me get dressed."

Jack waited for her to leave before getting up.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," she pointed out, unhurried.

"Then what are you doing?" Jack asked as she turned to leave.

"Didn't say I wanted to see it again," Cat replied. She tossed Jack his hat and left, still laughing, as the door shut behind her.

Cat was still smiling when Jack appeared on the deck a few minutes later. He didn't return the expression, and instead gave her one of mocking disapproval.

"First time I've see you in seven years, you could be a little nicer." He put an arm loosely around her waist, voice dropping. 'Now why don't you come back into my cabin and we'll have a real reunion?"

Cat slapped him, and she didn't think it had been a hard slap, but Jack jumped back. He rubbed the side of his face where a faint red mark in the shape of her fingertips was forming.

"Well, good to see you haven't changed since we last saw each other."

Jack was still holding the side of his face.

"Becoming a bit of a pansy though, aren't you?"

"No," Jack said moodily. "Your damn nails are long."

Jack dropped his hand, and Cat studied his face. Her nails, not yet broken off by sailing, had made imprints on Jack's cheek. She hadn't remembered the difference in her hands, but it was there. And Jack would notice it too if she wasn't careful. She quickly folded her arms, tucking her hands out of sight.

"Sorry," she said, trying to sound casual. "I didn't realize it. Didn't think you'd be such a pansy, regardless. What, don' any of your 'friends' in Tortuga have nails?"

"Aye. But you see, they don't slap me."

Cat looked at him questioningly.

"If you spend a night with Captain Sparrow, the last thing you'll be doing is slapping him," Jack said with a cocky grin.

"Do me a favor," Cat said.

"One, Get over yourself." And two, don't ever talk about yourself in third person again."

"Anything else? Or are you finally going to tell me how you got back here?"

"That was my thought exactly. Have a seat," Cat said, perching on a coil of rope, "and ask whatever you like."

AN: Well, there it is. Leave me a review if you liked it!


	8. Catching Up

Disclaimer: I now own a Jack Sparrow action figure, because my mom indulges me in my nerdery and buys me things when she goes to the store. However, I don't own the real Jack Sparrow.

AN: So…here's chapter 8. It hopefully answers a few questions, but no worries. Ones that remain unresolved will be explained in a chapter or two. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!

Chapter Eight: Catching Up

"People say that you'll die/Faster than without water/But we know it's just a lie/To scare your sons and scare your daughters" (Arcade Fire)

"Well, how would you feel about going back to my cabin," Jack began.

Cat rolled her eyes. "Ask anything you like about the past several years, you git."

Jack muttered something Cat didn't catch, and sighed resignedly. "Alright, then. Firs' things firs' I guess. How are you not dead?"

"Fixated," Cat commented. She thought for a moment and then began. "The bullet from Knowles barely hit me. Just got my arm and knocked me over. I hit the corner of the trunk. If you'd bothered to remember the pact and come back for me, you would have known I wasn't dead."

Jack became very defensive. "Knowles was chasing me with a bloody pistol! Even after the crew killed him, it wasn't going to be too long until his own crew got suspicious! I had to get off that island!"

"You had to come back an' look for me!" Cat exclaimed. "You agreed to the pact, Jack! No one gets left behind!"

"When someone's dead, I don' think you need to go back for them!"

"I wasn't dead!"

"When someone's laying still in a pool of blood, you can usually say they're dead!"

"I wasn't dead! And you still broke the pact!"

They were both on their feet, gesturing madly. The conversation had become a yelling match, and the crew of the Pearl was drawn over by the noise. Gibbs came up behind Jack, looking nervous.

"Cap'n" he said questioningly.

Both Cat and Jack turned.

"What?" they snapped in unison.

"I'm the damn captain here!" Jack said, turning back to Cat.

"Well, some job you're doing of it!"

The crew could see another bout of yelling approaching quickly. They backed away nervously, all except for Gibbs.

"Cap'n?"

"What the hell is it!" Jack snarled.

"Erm, just, you're kinda attracting some attention from those guards," Gibbs said, cringing.

"What?" Jack said, his voice dropping. He looked sharply at the dock, where a naval officer was looking at the Pearl with great attentiveness. Jack grabbed Cat by the arm suddenly and pulled her off the deck. He ushered her into an empty cabin.

"Stay here," he said hurriedly. "For a minute, less, I swear."

Jack rushed away, expecting Cat to stay in the cabin. He was quite mistaken, and she followed him back onto the deck. The crew was dashing around madly, getting the Pearl ready to sail. Car managed to find Jack, and caught him by the sleeve.

"What's going on?" she hissed.

"We're getting out of here, that's what," Jack replied. "The whole bloody Navy will be after us in an hour. The Pearl has to get out of Tortuga."

"Where are you going?"

"I don' know, somewhere," Jack said, preoccupied.

"Take me back to the Moon. I know where you can hide out." Cat was still mad at Jack, but she didn't want to see him hang. He was the only one of her friends left.

"What are you talking about?"

"I have a place you can hide the Pearl. Get me back to the Moon, an' I'll lead the way."

Jack seemed undecided. "Where's your ship?" he finally said.

"The other end of the harbor," Cat replied, pointing to the Moon.

"Alright, this had better be good," Jack muttered. He walked away to give the crew directions. In a short time, the Pearl was beside the Moon, and Cat swung over to her own ship's deck.

"Jim!" she shouted, and her first mate appeared from the helm.

"Aye?" he yelled back.

"We're sailing out! Now! Get the crew to work!"

Cat went to the helm as Jim hurried off. The Moon turned quickly, and took the lead as the two pirate ships left the harbor. As she passed by, Jack shouted something from the helm of the Pearl.

"What!" Cat yelled over the loud, snapping flap of the sails being raised.

"Where are we going?" Jack repeated.

"Port Royal!" She smiled at the visible annoyance on Jack's face.

"Port bloody Royal," he muttered to himself as he followed the Moon out of Tortuga's harbor. "Aye, good plan. Since there aren't any naval officers there…"

AN: Oh, cliffhangers, how prevalent you are. Anyhow, if you're reading drop me a review and let me know what you think!


	9. Back Too Soon

Disclaimer: I own the new Pirates dvd, but nothing else.

AN: So...due to techinical difficulties (for some reason my Mac and weren't playing nicely, it's been a very long time since I updated this. Hopefully it hasn't been entirely forgotten, haha.

Chapter Nine: Back Too Soon

"I look a little bit older/ I look a little bit colder/ For reasons unknown" (The Killers)

Cat had no desire at all to be in Port Royal again. She had only left, and the faces there were far too familiar. She was afraid that someone would know her. And the last thing she wanted to do was go home. Not that Port Royal had ever been home.

The cove below the empty fields of her old house was the perfect place to hide the two pirate ships. Once the Pearl and the Moon were safely moored in the quiet inlet, Jack and Cat left for the town. Cat had expected Jack to head directly for the lowest and roughest section of Port Royal, but instead he went towards a middle class street of businesses. She was even more surprised when he entered a blacksmith's shop.

A man was standing near the fire, his back to them. He was silhouetted in the orange flames, and Cat couldn't see any distinguishing features. Jack knew him, obviously, because he went up to him and slapped him on the back. A clatter of metal resonated in the small, dim room as the man dropped a hammer and whirled around.

"What? What the hell! Jack?" he exclaimed, his face coming into focus. He looked young and was quite handsome. His face was contorted into a hilarious expression of shock. Cat smiled as Jack spoke to him calmly.

"Will! How have you been lad?" he said, waving a perfunctory arm about out of old habit.

"Fine until you gave me a heart attack!" Will said, a bit snippy.

"Nice way to greet a friend," Jack said, rather callously.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jack," Will said sarcastically. "How have you been?"

"Fine thank you," Jack said, smiling.

"What are you doing in Port Royal? Last time I checked, this wasn't your favorite

place to spend time."

"You can thank the navy and Cat for that one."

"Who?" Will looked around, confused, and his eyes fell on Cat, who was standing uncertainly in the background. Jack waved her forward.

"This is Cat Flynn. Old friend," Jack said by way of introduction. "Cat, this is

Will Turner."

"Nice to meet you," Cat said, shaking Will's hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Will replied. He looked at her uncertainly. It was obvious that he knew the type of women who could usually be found with Jack.

Cat read his expression and smiled knowingly. "No," she said simply.

Will relaxed a bit, but then looked questioningly at Jack. Jack seemed to consider the options, then concurred.

"No," he repeated. "Regrettably, no. Cat was a captain with me years ago."

"Still am a captain," Cat pointed out.

"Aye, you are luv," Jack said thoughtlessly. Cat stepped casually on his foot, causing Jack to hop rather amusingly. She laughed, and could tell that Will wanted to as well. He had the self restraint and wariness of Jack enough not to, but he did allow himself a brief smile.

"Let her step on your foot, and then we'll see who's laughin', whelp," Jack said,

scowling.

Cat sneezed, and it sounded suspiciously like the word "pansy." Jack shot her a look, but stopped limping theatrically around the forge. Will banked the fire a bit, then invited them into the house attached to the shop. All three entered the house's tidy kitchen. It seemed almost too tidy considering Will lived there. Bachelor's houses didn't look this way. There were flowers on the table for goodness' sake.

"You married her, didn't you?" Jack said.

"What?" Will was digging in a cupboard for the rum Jack had requested, and wasn't paying attention.

"Elizabeth, you married her, didn't you?"

Will smiled like a fool as he turned back to them. "I did. Last summer."

"Aye? Good for you. Bootstrap would be glad." Cat recalled Jack's friend Bill

Turner, who she'd met only briefly once.

"Bill?" she asked, wanting to clarify.

"Aye, you remember him, right? We sailed together for a couple years after you, um, didn't die," Jack said, rather apologetically. He looked like he was just hoping she wouldn't kick him under the table. Cat remained silent. "Will is his son."

Cat conjured the image of Bill in her mind. From what she could remember, his son looked very similar. But she couldn't recall anything else about Will's father, and had no further comment.

"Where is Elizabeth anyway?" Jack asked.

"She's out at the moment, shopping. I imagine she's gone to visit her father before

she comes home."

"Old Swann hasn't disowned her for marrying you?"

Will looked at Jack disapprovingly. "Governor Swann is not completely materialistic, unlike you Jack."

"Pirate," Jack broke in.

"Fine," Will said shortly. "The governor was very understanding, and has even

offered us a new home. It is being built right now."

Cat had been silent for this part of the conversation, and spoke for the first time in several minutes.

"You married Elizabeth Swann?"

"Yes," Will replied.

"How did you miss that one?" Jack put in.

"How nice," Cat said, ignoring him. She smiled.

"You can meet her shortly, she should be home soon," Will added.

A horrible thought struck Cat. Elizabeth would know her. She had seen her at a hundred social events. But she would know her as Alexander's wife, as Catherine Powell. Jack couldn't know. She didn't want him to know. Cat realized she had to leave before Elizabeth returned.

Standing suddenly, Cat had to think of an excuse to go.

"I've got to, er, I need to get back to the Moon. I've just realized there was something I needed to have the crew do," she stammered, backing toward the door. Jack and Will gave her very odd looks, but said good-bye. Jack said he would follow in a while.

Cat thought she was home free, she had avoided a very unfortunate situation. She

turned around and walked purposefully out the door. Phew, a crisis averted.

Unfortunately, she ran directly into Elizabeth.

"Oh!" Elizabeth cried. She had been carrying a basket with a few things from the market, and the items scattered in the doorway. Will rushed over to help her pick them up, and Cat retreated into the crowd on the street until she disappeared. When everything had been gathered, Elizabeth and Will paused in the entrance.

"What was she doing here?" Elizabeth said, frowning a bit.

"That was Jack's friend. She had to get back to her ship. I'm sure she didn't mean it," Will explained.

"Her ship?" Elizabeth seemed confused.

"Aye, her ship," Jack put in. "Something she forgot to do, I guess."

"But…ship?" Elizabeth repeated. Will and Jack looked at her blankly, and she

added, " Don't you know who that was?"

A confused pause from Will and Jack.

"That was Catherine Powell."

AN: In the grand tradition, another cliffhanger.


	10. Identity

Disclaimer: I own a lot of shoes, but no pirates.

AN: Right then... I have nothing legitimate to say about this chapter, so go ahead and read. Thanks to my reviewers!

Chapter Ten: Identity

"Green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find"(Coldplay)

Jack and Will stared at Elizabeth. Jack was clueless, he had never heard of Catherine Powell. But Will's mouth opened in shock. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think, and finally spoke.

"Alexander's wife?" he managed to say.

"Yes, of course Alexander's wife," Elizabeth returned, rather annoyed with his stupidity. "Who else?"

"But, Liz, that was a pirate. She came here with Jack. She has a ship. Did you see her clothes?" Will stammered.

"Catherine Powell in pirate's clothes is Catherine Powell none the less Will. You know, I've had lunches with her several times."

"Wait a minute," Jack broke in. "You've lost me."

Elizabeth sighed. "Why are you two being so difficult? That woman, who just left

this room, was Catherine Powell, Alexander Powell's wife. Who did you think she was?"

"That woman," Jack said, pointing unnecessarily at the door from which Cat had

made her swift exit. "Is Cat Flynn. I know her well, I've known her for ten years! I think I would know if her name was Catherine Powell."

Will was still looking at the doorway. He sounded rather distant when he spoke

again. "That was Catherine Powell, Jack. I remember now, I've seen her in Port Royal before. Not that way, but.."

He faded off, not seeming to know how to finish. Jack looked annoyed, and Elizabeth confused.

"I still don't believe either of you," Jack said stubbornly.

"It's Catherine Powell!" Elizabeth burst out. "Why don't you think so?"

"Because I've known her for ten years!"

"And where has she been all that time?" Elizabeth snapped.

"I-I-don't know where," Jack admitted. "But that girl is a pirate, not a lady."

Jack looked at the door with the other two, and sunk into thought. Maybe it could

have been what they said. He remembered telling her himself that she looked the part of a lady. But, she couldn't have been gone all those years, married to a rich man. That was ludicrous.

"Prove it to me," Jack said finally.

Will looked clueless, and even Elizabeth was temporarily silenced by his question.

But she was more resourceful than her husband, and answered after a moment's thought. She walked toward the door, then turned.

"Follow me," she said. "And I'll show you Catherine Powell."

Elizabeth led the way out the door, and through a maze of streets in Port Royal. They left the neighborhood where Elizabeth and Will lived, passed the harbor and the fort, and finally arrived in an area of prosperous businesses. The streets seemed deserted here, it was a Saturday and hardly any of the offices were open. One of the largest buildings in the area was a tall structure made of new looking brick. A sign above the door identified it as Powell Shipping and Merchants Ltd. None of the windows that overlooked the harbor were open, and Will was surprised to find the door unlocked when he tried to open it.

The three entered a large and empty lobby with a single desk in the corner. The

building was obviously closed for the weekend, and it was slightly unnerving. There was a pervading sense of eerie silence about their footsteps as they ventured across the polished wood floors.

A long hallway branched off from the lobby, and the group walked to the very end. A lone door was to their left, and they turned to face it. There was an uncertain pause, none of them really wanted to open it. Jack finally stepped forward and pulled the door back. He peered into the room, made sure no one was there, and entered. Elizabeth and Will followed.

"This is Alexander Powell's office," Elizabeth explained.

It looked quite normal. There was a highly polished desk made of dark wood, covered with papers in neat stacks. A bookshelf covered one wall, and a little used fireplace dominated the opposite side of the room. When they walked in, Jack and Will had turned so that their backs were to the fireplace, but Elizabeth looked in that direction.

"There's your proof Jack," she said.

Jack turned to her. "What was that?"

"Look at the fireplace," Elizabeth explained, and pointed to the wall just above the mantle.

A large painting of a couple was hanging on the wall. The man was Alexander Powell, looking neat and happy in his tailored clothes. The woman beside him was obviously his wife. She looked several years younger, but seemed more distinguished than Alexander. Her elegantly styled dark hair matched the expensive black silk of her dress. She was half-smiling, but her green eyes looked bored. The calm poise of her posture seemed unnaturally perfect.

It took a moment to sink in, but once it did there was no denying it. The clothes made no difference. There was no doubt about it. Cat Flynn was Catherine Powell.

Jack stepped away from the picture as though it offended him somehow. Will was still looking at the painting, half transfixed. Elizabeth seemed somewhat smug, having proved her point. Turning away from the painting, Jack walked over the office's expensive carpet toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Will said, snapping back to normal.

"I'm going back to the harbor," Jack said, and his voice seemed distracted. "I

need to find out about this."

He left silently, shutting the door behind him. Elizabeth and Will remained a

moment longer in the office, then followed Jack out. They were several feet behind him, and he was walking quickly, but they could still make out what he was saying.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself. "It was Cat."

AN: I can't help myself with the cliffhangers. Apologies.


	11. Catherine and Cat

Disclaimer: If only I owned anything related to Pirates...

AN: Right, here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Catherine and Cat

"If you can keep a secret, I can keep a secret" (The Killers)

Cat was sitting in her cabin on the Moon, looking unnaturally pale and worried. She knew Elizabeth would know her. Damn it, this wasn't supposed to happen. Jack was never supposed to know she married Alexander. Her head ached and her brain felt jumbled. She had to think of what to do. And she didn't know how long she had.

Unknown to Cat, Jack was heading for the ships as she thought. His mind felt as unorganized as hers, and for once it wasn't the result of drinking. Cat, the pirate he'd known for ten years, was a lady. How could she be? He would never have believed it, but he had seen the picture himself. It was Cat, but it was Catherine. He picked up speed, walking toward the cove with his mind in a blur.

The crews of both the Pearl and the Moon were off in Port Royal, and the Moon was seemingly abandoned when Jack stepped onto the ship. He looked around the decks, checked the helm and the crow's nest, and determined that Cat had to be below decks. If she was on the ship at all, that was.

He descended warily. The layout of the Moon was new to him, and he wasn't sure where the captain's cabin would be. Jack passed the galley, a room or two of crew's quarters, a large room with a table covered in maps, and a multitude of other rooms until he reached the very end of the hall. One door there was closed, and he knew instantly that this one was Cat's. In a gesture that was very unlike himself, he knocked.

In the cabin, Cat jumped up, knocking over her chair. She picked it up nervously, and paused a moment. She had made a very loud noise, Jack would figure out she was in here. She might as well face up to the truth.

"Come in," Cat said weakly.

The door opened slowly, and Jack appeared from behind it. He looked strange,

confused, almost betrayed. The look made Cat feel even worse, if possible.

"I don't know what happened back there," he began, and Cat didn't even bother

to correct him. "But something really odd is going on."

"What are you talking about?" Cat tried to feign innocence, but it fell flat.

"You know exactly. Elizabeth knew you, and she certainly doesn't know many pirates. Just tell me the truth. Who is Catherine Powell?"

Cat's heart dropped. So he knew everything. It was the one thing she had wanted not to happen. Her finger ran over the five on her thumb. Maybe this was her punishment for breaking the pact. Total embarrassment in front of the one person who she needed to be respected by. Cat took a deep breath.

"I am."

"You are? I saw the picture, but, I didn't want to believe.."

"What picture?" Cat racked her brain. What was he talking about? The picture?

"The one in the office. Powell's Shipping. Elizabeth and Will took me to see it. It

was, you."

"Oh," Cat said, and her voice was hollow and disappointed. "Oh. That one. Jack, I.."

She couldn't finish. It was too complicated, and she didn't know where to begin. She couldn't even look at him. The last traces of the usual grin faded off of Jack's face.

"Why? What were you doing? How could you be her? I don't understand."

"Listen, it's a long story. I'm not particularly proud of it. I didn't have a lot of choices about this. After the island.."

There was a long pause while Cat collected her thoughts.

"This all started after you left me on the island. I was stuck there, Jack, and it was

all your fault."

Jack was indignant. "I thought you were dead! Stop accusing me of all this.."

Cat cut him off. "I don't want to start this again. Never mind it. But, regardless, I was on that island. I didn't have a ship, I didn't have a crew. I was going to die there. I was on the island for about a week, and I thought it was all over soon. The island hardly had any water, and there wasn't anything to eat either. I was sitting there one day, and I saw these ships coming up over the horizon. They saw me on the beach and stopped. They were Alexander's ships. By luck, he was willing to help me."

"Wait a minute," Jack broke in. "Merchants don't go round saving marooned pirates. What did you tell him?"

"I told him I was kidnapped by pirates. That I was a lady. You always told me I

could be one. So I said you kidnapped me, and then left me on the-"

"What?!"

Cat jumped. "What was that about?"

"You told them I kidnapped you?"

"Yes, Jack. I thought we'd established that."

"Why?"

"Well, someone had to kidnap me. At the time, you seemed like the best option. We weren't exactly the best of friends at the moment."

Jack shot her a dark look, but didn't say anything else. Cat continued.

"I told them I was an English lady, Catherine Thomas. It wasn't difficult. Alexander brought me back to Port Royal, and I made some complicated story about being an orphan, and some ship's sinking, and being left alone and penniless. It was stupid, but he and everyone else believed it. When he asked me to marry him, I said yes."

"Why?" Jack looked stunned. "You're a bloody pirate!"

"I was a pirate without a ship. Who better to marry than a man with more ships than anyone else in the Caribbean? I didn't just steal this ship without any warning. It was planned, Jack."

Jack sat dead still, in shock. "Doesn't he know you're gone?"

"He's away in England. He won't know for some time."

"I still can't see it. You were a lady, some rich merchant's wife. I don't see how you could do it."

"I didn't love him," Cat said. Her voice was so cold that it made Jack wince inwardly. "I didn't hate him either. But, it wasn't like I really cared at all. I missed this life."

"You were a lady," Jack said again, very quietly. He rubbed his face with his hands, and it smeared the kohl around his eyes. The dark smudges made his face look suddenly tired.

"I didn't want to tell you," Cat admitted.

"What?"

"I didn't want to tell you about this. I didn't think you needed to know. It wasn't a part of my life I wanted to tell anyone about. I didn't love Alexander, but I'm not proud of doing this to him. It was harsh."

"Things don' always turn out the way you plan them," Jack said pointedly. He looked down at the scar on his thumb, and Cat glanced at her own hand. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking, and couldn't meet each other's eyes when they looked up again.

"We're leaving early tomorrow, savvy?" Jack mumbled, walking toward the door.

"Aye, savvy," Cat replied.

"One more question-why did you call this ship the Blue Moon?"

Cat smiled, and it seemed surprisingly natural. "Because, I wanted people to ask, 'Did a pirate ever return from the dead?' And the answer would be 'Yes, once, in a Blue Moon.'"

Jack grinned, closed the door behind himself, and left Cat alone. It was only after he left that she realized she didn't know where they were leaving for.

AN: Oh backstory, how there was a lot of you in this chapter. And oh cliffhangers, how I cannot escape you. Finally, oh reviewers, how I appreciate your comments!


	12. Destination Unknown

Disclaimer: Er...I don't even own anything intelligent to put here.

AN: Right, this is a fairly quick update. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Chapter Twelve: Destination Unknown

"Oh take me back to the start" (Coldplay)

Cat sat down on the corner of her bed and tried to think logically. Her mind fell blank, and she listened to Jack's footsteps retreat down the hall, across the deck above, and finally off the ship. From the porthole in her cabin, she could see a light appear on the Pearl. It remained on for a moment or two, then flickered out. Cat was left alone with her thoughts.

The sight of darkness all around her depressed her intensely. It brought back unhappy memories of days and nights when Alexander was away and the huge house was empty. She had often spent these days looking out at the harbor, hoping to see Ana's ship, or Harry's or Tim's. Or even Jack's. Sometimes Jack's more than the others.

Cat suddenly realized that she had never asked Jack about whatever he was looking for. It was something important, she knew that from the conversation in the tavern. But she couldn't figure out what it was. If it had been just a treasure like any other, he would have told her about it right away. In fact, he would have told everyone with ears right away. Jack couldn't keep a secret.

She didn't even know what direction they were going to sail in tomorrow.

Cat sighed and lay back on the bed, staring dully at the ceiling. There were times, and now was one of them, when she thought that life might have been a whole lot easier if she had never met Jack. But meeting him, like a lot of things, was Jack's fault completely.

Cat was young for a pirate, even she had to admit it. Nineteen was an unheard of age for anyone to be a captain. And for a woman to be a captain, that was nearly unheard of anyway. She was very self assured, though, almost to a fault, and she never felt out of place in Tortuga.

After ten years, she had forgotten what she was doing on Front Street that day. Her memories always started with her walking past a nondescript tavern, going somewhere unremarkable to do something unimportant. Other than the destination, the memory was as clear as day. She could still smell the bread being made in a bakery down the street, hear the muted clicks of her boot heels on the cobbles, taste the salt in the air.

And she could always, always imagine Jack's voice.

"Hello luv," he had slurred casually, falling into step beside Cat and putting an arm around her. She shrugged it off easily and picked up her pace, ignoring him. Jack caught her again, undaunted.

"Where's a pretty lass like yourself going this morning?"

"Away from you," Cat replied quickly, slipping his arm off her shoulders again.

"Maybe you don' know who I am," Jack began. "Allow me to introduce myself."

"You're Jack Sparrow, an' I don't know how I could not know you. No one else in Tortuga would be drunk at ten in the morning."

"Not drunk, this is jus' me. An' it's Captain Jack Sparrow, by the way."

"Not drunk? Perhaps you should drink then. Might improve your personality," Cat said coolly.

"Listen, luv.."

"Don't call me luv."

"What's your name then?"

"Captain Cat Flynn."

"Cap- what?" Jack, miraculously, stopped talking for a moment. "Wait a minute, you're a captain? I thought you were a…"

"A whore?" Cat suggested, reading his thoughts easily.

"No, not that…well, yes, maybe, but don't take that the wrong way."

"Is there a right way to take being called a whore?"

"The right way is to tell the person who called you a whore that they're the best captain in the Caribbean," Jack said quickly.

"Then I took it the wrong way."

Jack was silent again. When he spoke, his tone seemed more respectful. "Sorry. Why don't you come over and meet my mates? They're down on the Pearl right now."

"Your mates? What, a bunch of men just like yourself?"

"No, there's Ana as well."

"Ana?"

"Aye, Ana. Come see for yourself."

Jack seemed serious enough about this, and Cat was interested. She followed him down to the docks and onto the Black Pearl. They paused on the deck for a minute.

"She's a fine ship," Cat commented, studying the unusual black sails.

"Aye, she is," Jack agreed, and his eyes looked far away and calm. He turned and

looked over the harbor. "Which one's yours?"

Cat looked for a moment, and spotted the Voleur in the distance at the far end of the harbor. "Down there," she said, pointing. "The Voleur."

"Aye?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "I've seen you before then. Fine ship as well."

"Thank you. Now, I want to meet these friends of yours."

"All right. Right this way then."

Jack led the way into the ship's main cabin. There were several chairs around a table, but no one in them. Cat was instantly suspicious and annoyed. She turned sharply to Jack, who looked bewildered.

"Friends, eh?" she said, eyes narrowing.

"They were supposed to be here, I swear," Jack said, opening the nearby door to

the galley and peering in. "I don't know where they went."

"Right," Cat spat. She turned to leave, but Jack caught her by the wrist. Her back was against the door, and she nearly fell over when someone pulled it open behind her.

"Oh," a male voice said from over her shoulder. "Didn't know you had company, Jack." The way the voice stressed the word company made it obvious what the speaker thought of Cat. "We'll just go then."

Cat wrenched her wrist away from Jack and turned. Two men and a woman were standing in the doorway. Well, this was off to a bad start.

"This is certainly not what any of you are thinking" she began. "Captain Sparrow was trying to persuade me to stay until all of you came. There was a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Oh," the other man said, echoing the first. "Sorry."

"I'm Captain Cat Flynn by the way."

The taller of the two men stepped forward and held out a callused hand. "Captain Harry Reynolds. Nice to meet you."

The other man came next. "Captain Tim Travers."

The woman was last. She eyed Cat suspiciously for a moment. "Captain Anamaria Peters," she said finally.

The following conversation in the Pearl's cabin would be the first of many for the friends. And the first of many adventures was begun soon after.

Looking back, Cat realized she hadn't known where she was going that first day she came to the Pearl with Jack, but she had ended up making four new friends. Maybe not knowing where you were headed wasn't always the end of the world.

AN: Backstory! Huzzah! Leave me a review if you liked it!


	13. Delayed Departure

Disclaimer: I own many, many Christmas gifts, but no pirates.

AN: Lucky chapter thirteen! Hope everyone enjoys! Thanks to the last chapter's reviewers!

Chapter Thirteen: Delayed Departure

"We're on the one road/Maybe the wrong road/It's the road to fuck knows where/We're on the one road/Maybe the wrong road/But we're together now so I don't care" (Babyshambles)

Jack returned to his cabin after his talk with Cat. He blew out the lantern out of habit, and stretched out on the bed. But he was wide awake, and lay in the darkness thinking of nothing in particular. His mind was full with all of the things Cat had told him. For no reason at all, he thought of the same day Cat had just recalled. They day they'd met.

Contrary to Cat's beliefs, Jack had known exactly who she was from the second he saw her on the street. He and the others had decided that they wanted Cat in their group. She had a reputation in the Caribbean, even at nineteen. They sent Jack out as a representative to find her.

The morning was warm and pleasant, and Jack carelessly wandered the familiar streets of Tortuga for a hour or more before he finally spotted Cat. At first, he was unsure of himself. She looked too pretty to be a pirate, something in her bearing made her seem too refined. But the hair color, the clothes, and the hat were exactly what the others had described, so he knew it was her.

Anyone else would have just gone up to Cat and explained themselves, but Jack couldn't bear to let others think that they could have a reputation as great as his. He decided to pretend that he'd never seen her before. Coming up behind Cat, he threw an arm casually around her shoulders.

The very first thing he noticed about Cat was that she was ice cold. The morning was warm; it was summer in Tortuga. People carried fans as they walked the streets. But Cat felt as though she'd been swimming in the Arctic. Jack would come to know that she was always this way.

Jack's memory wasn't as clear as Cat's, but he remembered a brief conversation that eventually led them back to the Pearl. Then there was the scene in the cabin…

There was that brief second when Cat was pinned against the door. It was an instant, a fleeting moment, and soon broken by Harry and Tim arriving at the door. But Jack remembered it in crystal clear images, as though it had been yesterday. It was the moment he realized he would never be only friends with Cat Flynn.

Still lying in the dark, Jack realized that being more than friends with someone had many more levels than he had ever thought about. It meant that he owed Cat the truth about where he was going. This wasn't the kind of thing you just forced upon someone. She needed to make a choice.

The next day in Tortuga dawned a surprising, misty grey. Days of this kind were rare in the islands, and Jack peered short sightedly out the porthole in his cabin for several minutes before going onto the deck. He saw Gibbs on his way to the helm.

"Morning Cap'n," Gibbs said cheerfully. He was just beginning to raise the flag. "Are we setting sail soon?"

"Aye, soon enough," Jack muttered, distracted. "I've got to go and see Captain Flynn for a while. Get the crew ready to go by nine."

"Aye Cap'n," Gibbs replied, turning back to the mast.

Jack crossed over the plank between the two ships and onto the Moon. Half of the deck was obscured in the fog, although none of it could have been more than thirty feet away. Jack couldn't see anyone on board at first, but he finally discerned a figure at the helm. It was Cat, standing in stunning relief against the grey morning. She was wearing all black, the red shirt wasn't present this morning, and her dark hair was down. It was wavy; a rarity caused by the extraordinary humidity, and fell around her shoulders, completing the dark silhouette. She appeared both small and extremely sure of herself, standing alone at the helm.

Coming across the deck, Jack stalked up silently behind Cat. She was looking out into the nearly opaque mists, seeing nothing. Jack tapped her on the shoulder, and she leapt around, grabbing his wrist in her chilly fingers.

"Calm down, luv," Jack said unthinkingly.

"Don't call me luv," Cat replied automatically. She released his wrist, and her voice relaxed along with her grasp. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting you."

"It's me fault as well, for doing that."

"Yeah, it is. What are you doing here anyway? I thought we were weighing anchor soon."

"Soon enough. You in a hurry?"

"Well, I figured the sooner we left the sooner I'd see where we were going, as you don' seem to be telling me."

Jack looked at her so sharply that Cat frowned. "Something the matter?" she asked.

"No. Nothing. It just seemed like you read my thoughts. See, I came over to tell you about where we're going. That is, if you want to go once I finish telling you."

"What? Don't talk like that, Jack. Tell me or don't tell me."

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack corrected without pause. "I haven' told anyone about this before you. It's something of a secret. You see, I think I found the way to Captain Wilde's treasure."

Jack said this in a very conspiratorial way, but Cat laughed at him. "You've got to be kidding me! That's a fool's errand, and every pirate with a ship knows it! Captain Wilde's treasure isn't even real."

"Yes it is. I swear. I wouldn't lie about this. You know how long I've wanted to find this thing. I think I've got it this time."

"This time?"

"Come on, we'll get out of this bloody fog, and I'll tell you all about it."

So they retreated below decks to Cat's cabin, and Jack told one of the most interesting stories Cat had ever heard.

AN; I know, cliffhanger. Reviews are a lovely late holiday gift!


	14. Destination Revealed

Disclaimer: Own. Nothing.

AN: Okay, for people reading this after the chapter 14 mistake, this is the real 14. For people who are like, "What?"...don't worry about it, haha.

Chapter Fourteen: Destination Revealed

" I know a girl with the golden touch, She's got enough, she's got too much" (Razorlight)

Cat left Jack alone for a moment in the cabin. She returned with two mugs from the galley. Jack hoped for rum, but they were steaming in the morning air. Cat sat one down on the table beside Jack and kept the other for herself, wrapping her always chilly fingers around the mug as thought it warmed her hands.

"No rum?" Jack commented, disappointed.

"Yours is about a quarter tea and the rest rum, so let it alone and tell me this story." Cat was dreadfully impatient about this. Wilde's treasure, practically a fairy tale though it may have been, was something you didn't miss a chance to hear about.

"Calm down," Jack said slowly, taking a sip of the laced tea. He settled back in his chair and smiled. Cat was sitting across the table, in a carved chair with worn arms, her feet propped up on the table's edge. Her posture was calm, but her eyes shot daggers at Jack. He finally cleared his throat and began the story.

"It was about two years ago…

Jack was in Tortuga, but not for long. He had only stopped the Pearl there at all because the ship was desperately low on food. He was in a hurry to leave the main islands, Norrington was after him again, madder than ever, and with that stupid wig more powdered than ever. The Navy was about a day behind the Pearl, and the pirates had only a few hours.

He and Gibbs were about to return to the ship. The food had been bought, and was being loaded belowdecks. As always, the streets of the town were packed, and the crowds were becoming more and more oppressive as the day faded to evening. So Jack hardly noticed when someone bumped into him. He would probably have never noticed if said person hadn't spoken first.

"Jack?"

It was Ana, standing in the street behind him, a shocked look on her face. When Jack turned around and she could confirm that it was him, she took a step forward and slapped him sharply. Jack blinked blearily at her.

"What the hell was that for? I got you a new ship!" he exclaimed, rubbing his face.

"But you deserved at least one more for all that time I didn't have one," Ana replied, smiling below the floppy brim of her hat. Jack looked at her disbelievingly.

"What are you doing in Tortuga anyway, Ana?"

"I'm getting ready to leave, that's what. Setting sail tomorrow morning. What about yourself?"

"Leaving right now," Jack said, glancing around for any naval officers. "Norringon'll have my head if I wait a few more hours."

"Sure you don't have time for a drink?" Ana said, laughing.

"For once, the answer is no. I've got to be getting back to the Pearl right now. It was good to see you again, Ana. Have a good trip, wherever you're going."

"Aye, same to you." Ana turned, almost walked away, paused and caught Jack's arm. "I want you to take something. I can't use it. You remember Wilde's treasure, aye?"

"Aye, of course."

Ana shoved something into his hands suddenly. "Then go find it. Savvy?"

"What?" Jack stuttered. He was stunned. "Ana, wait a minute."

But she was gone in the crowd.

Jack and Gibbs returned to the Pearl, and there were too many other things on Jack's mind for him to consider what Ana had given him. It remained tucked away in a deep pocket of his coat until he went into his cabin that night. Sitting down on the bed, he finally fished it out and looked at it more closely.

The object, whatever it was, was wrapped in a piece of worn leather. He pulled the string that kept the leather bound around it, and an oddly shaped metal object fell into his hand. It was a compass needle, but there was no compass to surround it. Jack noticed that the leather had a small bit of writing on it, nearly worn away, but still readable.

Wilde's compass will lead you south of the equator.

The treasure be great but the danger be greater.

The south of the islands be not what you think.

Your bonny ship could end up in the drink.

Should you hunt the treasure, remember the warning.

Should you succeed, best luck in returning.

The verse was less than heartening, and also less than helpful. What the hell were you supposed to do with a bit of a compass and some garbled warning? Jack folded the leather back around the piece of metal and thought hard, but couldn't come up with anything for several minutes. Finally, he took the metal out of its unique wrapping again and turned it in his fingers.

Then the memory came to him. Of being much younger, and standing on the docks with an old sailor he had known as a child. The man was holding a chipped mug so that Jack could see its contents.

"Now look here, Jack. This be as fine a compass as any made for the navy. And it's just a bit of iron and a cup of water."

Jack remembered staring at the trick in awe at the time, and now he realized that this could be exactly what he was looking for. He raced to the galley and found a shallow dish. Once it was filled with water, he hurried out to the deck and dropped the metal into the water. It sank like a stone, and he remembered that the old man had also had the metal floating on something buoyant. Looking at the rail, he pulled a wide splinter from it and balanced the needle on top.

Judging by the north star, Jack determined where the compass should have pointed. But it didn't. The homemade device pointed almost due south. Jack cursed under his breath and grabbed the metal from the water. Some great joke, Ana, he thought bitterly. Jack returned to his cabin and threw the metal and leather into a side drawer.

"It took me a long time to figure out the key to the compass," Jack concluded, still in Cat's cabin. "Another very similar one leads to the Isle de Muerta. I was just about to sail out in this compass' direction when I met you."

"You mean the compass points to the treasure?" Cat said quickly.

"Aye, it should."

"Then why aren't we sailing right away? Even if the legend isn't true, it's worth a try."

"The problem is, we're going south. Far south, from what it says. And that's dangerous waters."

"Are you a pirate or a bloody governess?" Cat exclaimed before Jack could say anymore. "Let's go! I'm not afraid of a bit of weather."

"It's not only the weather, Cat."

"And I'm not afraid of any other pirates either. Jack, do you want this treasure?"

"Aye, of course. It's supposed to be huge."

"Then let's go!" There was a set look on Cat's face that told Jack she wouldn't take no for an answer. He nodded silently, and got up. He was about half way to the door when he heard Cat's steps behind him.

He turned, and she was standing there, the hard look gone from her face. An easy smile replaced it, and her voice was quieter than before.

"I'm glad to be sailing with you again," Cat said, and gave Jack a quick hug.

"So am I," Jack said, hugging her back.

They lingered a moment too long and then pulled back uncertainly. Despite the total disregard they had shown it, the pact hung over their heads sometimes, especially for Cat. Jack turned to the door again.

"We're leaving in an hour," he told her, and left, closing the door behind him.

Cat stood still for a few moments, looking at the shut door. She was sure Jack had believed her. She nearly believed herself. Maybe she was glad to be sailing with him again. But there was the matter of the pact, as always.

AN: Right...real chapter 14. Leave a review if you liked it!


	15. A Last Look at the Islands

Disclaimer: "I" am to "owner of POTC" as "Jack" is to "repulsively ugly."

AN: Okay, new chapter. Bit of a long break, but what can I say? Sometimes New Years parties take days to recover from...

Chapter Fifteen: A Last Look at the Islands

"We were just a good thing/We were such a good thing" (The Killers)

Jack and Cat sailed peacefully for a long period of time, guided by the unwavering needle that sat in a cup next to the Pearl's helm. The sunny Caribbean days flew past like the harmless clouds in the continuous blue skies overhead. The two pirates and their crews were lulled into a sense of security. And there was no reason not to be. They were sailing the familiar waters of the Caribbean, like the old days.

At first, the sight of all the old places she and the rest of her friends had sailed during happier times comforted Cat. They passed St. Lucia, where she and Ana had tricked a group of drunken naval officers out of their uniforms, and then where Jack, Harry and Tim had masqueraded as naval officers. Then there was Martinique, where Jack was attacked by that bartender's pet monkey. On the fifth day they saw Jamaica, where Ana was from. They passed Tortuga again, close enough to see the lone palm tree on the beach.

But one day came when there were no more islands on the horizon. Cat studied the sea with some concern. The water was the same, glaring blue, the skies were just as clear, the sun just as hot. Something felt wrong about being out of sight of all the places she'd called home. That evening, she and Jack sat on the deck of the Pearl, watching the sun disappear on the blue horizon, and she asked him about the voyage.

"Jack, how will we know when we reach Wilde's treasure?"

"That I don' know, luv," Jack replied, stretching his feet out in front of him. They were sitting on two of the large coils of rope that were scattered around the deck.

Cat kicked Jack's ankle sharply, and he drew his feet back in. "Don't call me luv," she said for possibly the hundredth time in two weeks.

"Sorry," Jack said quickly, rubbing his ankle. "We'll get there when we get there I guess. But we're getting into dangerous water. Much farther south is bloody awful year round."

Cat knew what he meant. The islands never became too rough, but out in the open sea, unsheltered by the curve of land from the Americas, storms were bad. A brief flutter of nerves raced through Cat's mind, but she pushed it away quickly. No reason to be silly about anything. They might have fine weather the entire way. Although she doubted it.

"Do you remember all of us sitting this way?" Cat said suddenly.

"Aye, that I do. Seems like a long time ago."

"It was." The tone Cat used made the phrase seem very serious. Jack was silent for a long moment. Finally, he said, "They were good times."

"They were," Cat agreed. "We did this almost every evening, on one ship or another. Did you ever notice that we always sat in the same order?"

"Aye, but I thought I was the only one who did. It was almost a coincidence, at least it seemed that way."

"I don't think we did it on purpose. It was always," Cat paused and closed her eyes to remember the order, "Harry, then Tim, then you, then me, and then Ana. Always in that row."

Jack was silent again, and when he spoke his voice seemed unnaturally serious. "Did you ever notice that is was you and me in the middle?"

"Well, Tim was in the middle too," Cat pointed out.

"Aye, I know, but Harry and Tim were so alike that they always seemed like almost one person to me. It was you and me in the middle."

Cat realized that he wasn't just talking about the line they sat in anymore. She and Jack had been at the middle of their little group. It was Jack who had met Cat, Cat who had made the fives. It was Cat and Jack who were the last two in the Caribbean. And it was Cat and Jack who had destroyed the pact. The thought was heavy, and it didn't bring her any solace.

"Did you ever think that maybe we're the cause of Harry and Tim and Ana being gone? Us breaking the pact? Maybe it was some sort of, I don' know, punishment?"

Jack turned sharply on his rope chair. The look on his face was unreadable, especially in the dying light of the evening. He hesitated, and when he spoke his voice seemed forced.

"No, maybe. I don't know either. But I don't think so. We didn't break the pact that badly," he finished weakly.

"Be serious! We destroyed it." Cat took a deep breath and stood up. "But maybe you're right and I'm just being ridiculous. Pirates shouldn't believe in that sort of thing. I'd better be getting back to the Moon."

Jack stood with her. "You're welcome to stay for a while," he said, in a way that could only mean one thing."

Cat gave him a look as cold as her hands. "Didn't you listen to a word either of us just said? The pact. Even if we never honored it before, we should now. Out of respect for Tim and Harry and Ana. They never broke it, Jack! We did!" Her voice dropped a bit. "What was the matter with us?"

Cat walked away without waiting for an answer, not that Jack would have had one ready for her. He watched her cross to the Moon, and disappear below decks. Returning to the helm, he carefully picked up the mug that served as a compass and carried it downstairs.

Placing the compass down on a side table, he sat down heavily in a chair and pulled off his boots. Cat's comments worried him, though he'd never admit it. Maybe they were going to get what they deserved for breaking their promises. Maybe they shouldn't be going where they were going. What had been wrong with them?

After a while, he realized there was no excuse. It wasn't "true love" or anything like that that had caused this. They were pirates. Then it dawned on him. That was the reason. The reason they hadn't had a second thought about breaking the pact at the time. The reason Ana, Harry and Tim would have broken it eventually.

They were pirates.

AN: Right, there it is! Review if you liked it!


	16. In the Dark

Disclaimer: Disappointingly, I don't own anything.

AN: Okay...so I realized something. I had several chapters uploaded at once, and either I clicked on the wrong one when I was posting 14, or there was some kind of computer-y error, but the real chapter 14 got skipped. Now it's uploaded, and it was a pretty important chapter, so I suggest checking it out. Sorry for the confusion.

Chapter Sixteen: In the Dark

"You can't start a fire without a spark" (Springsteen)

There was an odd alternation of friendliness and cold haughtiness between Jack and Cat when they sailed. One of the roots of this polar behavior was their competitive natures. Jack and Cat both hated to lose, always had. But they never passed up the chance for a little competition. In their early years, they had come up with a number of odd games to play and pass the time. The games became stranger and stranger as they each mastered one after another. One of the very last ones they had ever played started one night when the sky was dark with storm clouds.

The Pearl and the Voleur were anchored for the night, swaying dangerously in the choppy water. Cat was visiting the Pearl as she often did to pass the evenings. This night, she knocked on the door to Jack's cabin, and found it pitch black inside upon entrance. No light came from the porthole, the outdoors was as dark as in. She stepped in uncertainly, wondering if maybe he was somewhere else, when a hand grabbed her wrist and held on tightly.

Unthinkingly, Cat turned to the side and slammed her free hand onto the fingers around her wrist. The pressure released instantly, but she felt a foot trying to trip her up. She had a sudden thought, if it were Jack he would try to get a hold of her wrist again. Pulling her arm back, she felt the slight breeze from a hand coming down where it had expected her arm, and finding only air. She reached out quickly and caught the unexpectedly empty hand. Jack suddenly lit a lantern from nowhere, and smiled at her.

"Quite good," he said, grinning. "You know me well."

"What?" Cat was thrown off guard by his odd comments.

"I had a friend once, who said that you only know someone as well as you can fight them. That was very good, you know me well."

"Aye, I suppose I do," Cat agreed. "I could say the same to you. Strange friend you had. Was it his idea to fight in the dark?"

"Actually, yes. He said if you can anticipate someone's movements well enough to block them in the dark, you're either lovers or worst enemies."

"Well, I guess we're enemies then," Cat said coolly.

"Are we now? I was straying in the other direction myself." Jack put down the lantern he'd lit, and put his arms around Cat.

"You were mistaken then."

Cat was out of the door before Jack could blink. She shut it behind herself, and leaned on the rough wood. It opened out and she could feel Jack try to open it, then leave it alone.

Now, back in the same situation as a few years ago, she faced the same old problems. It was surprising, even to herself, that Cat accepted the challenge to a game from Jack. She nearly forfeited when she found a dark room waiting, but absolutely couldn't bear to lose.

"Why this game, Jack?" she asked almost wearily. "We've played a thousand games together, maybe more. What is it about this one?"

"Firs' off, it's Captain Jack Sparrow. And second, I thought it would be good to see how well we knew each other. It's been a long time."

"Aye, it has."

"I wasn't done."

"My apologies," Cat said with dramatic formality. "Do continue."

Jack shot her a cold glance, but spoke again. "I wanted to see if you're up to snuff anymore. All those years of being some lady have probably made you soft."

"Soft?" Cat was offended. "Never. Let's go."

They closed the door to the cabin, and plunged themselves into complete darkness.

Jack made the first move, catching her arm out of old habit. Cat knew it was coming; she wrenched her wrist sideways, pulling away, and struck out with her foot. She caught Jack in the shin, and smiled at his muttered cursing.

"Who's the soft one Jack?" she taunted, stepping away so he had to find her in the darkness.

He did so quickly, and this began a fast, dangerous, boxing-like interlude. But they were too good. Jack blocked every move from Cat, and Cat didn't miss a step. They nearly circled the room before Cat finally took the advantage. She ran into the edge of a chair behind her, and spun it quickly into Jack's path. The clatter of wood on the floor was very apparent, and Cat hurried over, shuffling around until she found him on the floor. She rested a foot lightly on Jack's chest.

"Think I'm soft?" she said, breathing rapidly.

"No, no," Jack assented. "You haven't changed at all. Get your foot off me shirt."

"Like I'm ruining it," Cat said, smiling in the dark. She moved her foot, and reached out a hand to help Jack up. He stood and found a lantern on a table. The glow made a pool of uneven light in the cabin, and Jack and Cat sat down at the orange circle's perimeter.

"You still know me too well," Jack said, grinning.

"I can say the same to you," Cat replied. "Nothing's changed, has it?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Cat saw the old glitter in Jack's eyes. "That's up to us, luv."

"One thing hasn't changed. You still can't call me luv. Other things, I don't know. I don't know what you're referring to."

"You know exactly what I'm referring to," Jack insisted. He stood, and came around behind Cat's chair. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders, and he bent so he was very close to her ear. "What do you say?"

Cat turned to face him, and she was suddenly, dangerously tempted. What harm could it do, really? The pact was already broken, and the past was the past. Why not enjoy life a little? She almost said yes, but something nagged her in the back of her mind. She knew it was wrong. She had anticipated this situation as much as Jack's movements when they fought. They knew each other dangerously well. In fact, knowing each other at all was dangerous.

"I don't think it would be-"

"What? You know it's good." The pressure of Jack's hands on her shoulders increased. "There's no reason why not."

The tone of Jack's voice gave Cat pleasant chills. She felt as though she couldn't move, his hands on her shoulders held her there as tightly as chains. There was a horrible indecision in her mind, cluttering her brain. She shouldn't, but she wanted to.

Jack reached his hand up and touched her face. The five was grotesquely apparent on the skin of her cheek, standing out from the rest of his fingers. It was a swift, unwanted reminder of things they had promised never to do, and certainly shouldn't do again. In Cat's mind, the five burned like a brand on her cool skin, threatening to leave a mark there forever. She flinched away from Jack suddenly, and left the room. She knew it wouldn't be the last time she would be this tempted, and it could only get harder from here.

AN: There you are!


	17. Fresh Water

Disclaimer: After 17 chapters you should sense a pattern about my owning things.

AN: Right, on with the treasure-hunting and tension-building, etc, etc. Leave a review if you enjoyed it!

Chapter Seventeen: Fresh Water

"White were the wavecaps, and wild was their parting" (Scottish folk song)

There was only a slight tension after that night. Jack knew there might be, and had considered that before he ever suggested the game. But he was still glad he had. Cat had seemed indecisive. For a few moments, he thought she would give in and stay. What had changed her mind, he didn't know. But now wasn't the time to think about that. The treasure was almost at hand.

They had sailed almost due south for the better part of a month, and were somewhere off the coast of South America. The weather was getting worse and worse as the ships advanced. The air was cooler, the clouds were darker, the ocean was rougher. Jack and Cat both felt slightly out of their element this far from the crystal clear waters and baking sun of the Caribbean. It was a little wilder down here.

A steel grey sky overlooked the sea on the worst day they'd had so far. The air was almost sharp. Weather this cold seemed unnatural to the pirates. Cat was standing at the helm of the Moon, looking at the sky's dull reflection on the water. Something seemed amiss in the swiftly moving clouds above her. She pulled the jacket she was wearing more tightly around her shoulders. There was an ominous feeling at the back of her mind. The weather wasn't quite right.

Jack was at the helm of the Pearl, having oddly parallel thoughts. The weather made him uncomfortable. He liked the feel of the Caribbean sun on his face, the calm breezes in the sails, the humid air against his skin. There was an unaccustomed coolness in the air here; the sails flapped a bit too harshly in the stiff winds. It made him decidedly unhappy.

Neither Cat nor Jack realized it at the time, but they had nearly reached the most volatile latitudes in the ocean. Much worse was in store.

Cat returned to her cabin rather early that evening. It was only six, but the sky was darkening rapidly. That was another thing she liked about the Caribbean. The days were long there; sunset was well past when it was here. She settled in for a dull evening, and dozed off unexpectedly.

The sound of wind howling in the timbers of the ship woke her a few hours later. Every beam of the Moon seemed to creak above her, and she jumped from her uncomfortable seat and rushed onto the deck. Most of the crew had just arrived from below, and she began shouting orders non-stop.

"Jenkins, get a few men rounded up and get the mainsail down! McCurry, man the rudder! I want three of you to get down to the bilge and make sure we aren't taking on any water! Manning, go to the galley and find the charts. I want to know our coordinates. And Baker, row over to the Pearl and make sure everything is all right there. Get to work!"

Cat herself rushed to the helm and straightened the Moon's course. It had been drifting dangerously starboard. Once she had righted her ship's path, she noticed the Pearl was significantly off track. Something was wrong. It wasn't like Jack to be off course. Especially since he had the compass. The waves were splashing her boots as she returned to the main deck. She found Baker returning just as a driving rain started fiercely from the dark clouds above them.

"Well?" she shouted over the rising din of the working crew and the storm.

Baker looked worried. "They can't find Captain Sparrow," he replied.

"What?" Cat's heart jumped with fear. Jack couldn't be missing. What if he was washed overboard? She turned away from Baker, and hurried to the side of the ship. The decks were tilting in the rough seas, and the waves crashed up over the rails. It was foolish to row across, but she had no choice.

"Baker! Lower the boat at once!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cap'n!" Baker replied as another wave drenched them both. "The seas are bloody awful tonight."

"Lower the damn boat! When you're captain here you can tell me what I should be doing!" Cat snapped.

The boat lowered without further conversation. Cat carefully ventured over the space between the two ships, and climbed a rope ladder on the side of the Pearl. The crew was searching madly for Jack, but to no avail. Waves rushed over the deck almost constantly now, knocking the careless off their feet. Cat ran to the helm and adjusted the Pearl's course back to normal, locking the wheel in place, then returned to the deck to look for Jack. He couldn't be gone. He couldn't.

Cat was coming around the corner of the upper cabin when a huge wave swept over the Pearl's deck. She caught a glimpse of the Moon out of the corner of her eye, tossing in the waves, when something hit her in the knees and knocked her over. Gasping and spitting out water, she looked over and was shocked to see Jack lying on the deck next to her. She got to her knees and then to her feet, and stood over his inert figure.

The second she looked more closely at Jack, she knew something was seriously wrong. A bleeding gash traced the edge of his scalp, and his tan face was red with watery blood. His wrist looked to be at a completely wrong angle to his arm. His eyes were closed, and Cat screamed is name as loudly as she could over the howling gale, but there was no response. She finally dragged him belowdecks to his cabin, and left him slumped there against the wall while she went to find Gibbs.

He was standing at the top of the steps to meet her.

"I found him," Cat gasped, completely out of breath.

"Thank God," Gibbs replied. "We thought he was gone for good."

"Do me a favor, go over to the Moon and tell them I'll be here for a while, would you?"

"Aye, of course." Gibbs turned and ventured out into the driving rain once more. Cat headed in the other direction, down the stairs to Jack's cabin. It was going to be a long night, and they might not both be there in the morning.

AN: Oh, hey cliffhanger. Glad to see you could join us!


	18. Vigil

Disclaimer: It's snowing today. That's not a natural habitat for Caribbean pirates, so I had to sell them. Thus, I own nothing.

AN: Right-o. Chapter 18. Go forth, read, review!

Chapter Eighteen: Vigil

"How long must you wait for it? How long must you pay for it?" (Coldplay)

Returning to the cabin below, Cat fumbled around in the half darkness until she found a lantern. She lit it quickly and put it aside, casting an uneven glow on the room. Then she pulled Jack over to the bed and situated him there with some difficulty.

Much to her dismay, he looked even worse in the light than he had on deck. The gash on his head was deep, and crimson blood streamed from it in strands of red across his face. There was something seriously wrong with his wrist as well. It was at an impossible angle, his fingers almost touching his arm. She leaned over and tried to bend it, but it was stiff. She couldn't tell if he had any other injuries, his wet clothes were plastered over him, and they were quickly soaking the blankets on the bed.

Taking off the sopping wet clothes proved to be difficult as well. Jack's arms and legs flopped bonelessly as Cat tried to pull away his soaked coat and boots. She finally managed to strip off the dripping clothes, then piled them carelessly in the far corner.

Cat pulled a blanket over Jack and examined the cut on his head. She wasn't sure what the injury was from, but it was still bleeding profusely. One thing was for sure, she would have to give him stitches. Cat flinched at the thought, but she watched the blood spill over from the wound and realized it was the only thing she could do.

She found a needle and a narrow thread in a drawer, and tried to thread the needle. Attempting to put the thread through the tiny eye, she noticed for the first time that her fingers were shaking. She was soaked to the skin, and her clothes held all the cold water from the rain and waves against her body. Putting the needle down carefully, Cat realized she was shivering all over. She had to get out of her own wet clothes. A pile of Jack's spare clothes was thrown on a chair in the center of the room. She went over and found a shirt and pair of pants and exchanged them for her own. They were ludicrously huge on her, but better than the chilly clothes she had been wearing before.

Returning to the bed, she picked up the needle again and managed to thread it. Cat dreaded doing this, it made her feel vaguely nauseous to consider pushing the needle through Jack's skin. But the flow of blood hadn't slowed at all, and she knew it was the sole option.

The sleeves of the shirt she'd taken from the chair were too long, and she tore a piece from one and used it to wipe the blood away from the cut. It was deep, but fairly short and even, luckily. Taking a deep breath, Cat tentatively poked the needle into the edge.

It wasn't as bad as she had anticipated, but giving someone stitches wasn't an experience Cat wanted to repeat anytime soon, if ever. She ended with a decent looking row of small stitches on the edge of Jack's forehead. When she was done, Cat tore the other sleeve to match the first and made a bandage for Jack's head.

Finishing with his head, Cat moved on to his wrist. Looking at it for only a second, she could tell that it was broken. The angle of his hand to his arm was ludicrous. There was no way she could fix it here, Cat didn't have any serious medical experience; she couldn't set bones. Letting his hand fall back onto the covers, she wondered if anyone else on the ship could.

Cat climbed up to the deck, and looked around for someone who didn't seem terribly busy. The storm was dying down, the worst lightning flashes were off in the distance. She finally met Gibbs coming around a corner and caught him by the arm.

"Does anyone on board know how to set bones?" she asked quickly.

Gibbs tried to cover the flash of dismay on his face and failed. "Is it that bad?"

Cat nodded. "Listen, it will only be worse if we don't fix it soon. Can anyone do it?"

"I think Jones might be able to. He's new for this voyage. Let me find him."

Gibbs went away, and Cat returned to the cabin. She sat down, and in a few minutes footsteps could be heard coming from the deck to the cabins below. A very young sailor, he couldn't have been more than twenty, appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Gibbs sent me down," he explained shyly. He seemed distinctly nervous around Cat, and she smiled.

"Oh, good. He told me you can set bones."

"Aye, I can Miss. I were a doctor's 'prentice before I started sailing"

"Well, first off, it's captain. And second, that's the best news I've heard in a while. Go on then, it's the wrist."

Jones went over to Jack's inert figure and picked up his arm. He winced at the sight of the wrist, but asked Cat for a splint of some kind and another bandage. In a few minutes, Jack's wrist was neatly bound in white cloth. Jones smiled his nervous half smile when Cat spoke again.

"Thank you, it's very lucky you were here," she said cheerily.

"It were nothing, Captain," he replied, and left quickly.

"Odd," Cat murmured, and sat down in a chair next to the bed. She felt rather strange, lightheaded and suddenly hot. The feeling only got worse, and she leaned back in the chair to try to regain her equilibrium. Her head throbbed, and the dim light in the cabin seemed glaring and bright. There was an odd feeling of disconnection between her body and her mind, and then darkness.

AN: Cliffhangers, once they arrive, are unfortunately reluctant to leave. Speaking of leaving- leaving reviews is lovely!


	19. Fever

Disclaimer: I own tickets to see The Killers in April. I am mad excited. However, I don't have any pirates.

AN: Sorry for the insane delay...I'm back at uni so that might be the case sometimes. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Nineteen: Fever

"Tonight, you're on my mind, so you never know" (Jaime Cullum)

Jack awoke not long after his medical treatment was completed. He tried to sit up, but his head pounded and bursts of color flashed in front of his eyes. Wincing, he lay back down slowly and looked around the room.

He saw Cat in the chair beside the bed, and at first she seemed very normal. But he looked at her face more carefully and something seemed amiss. There was an unnatural flush on her tan cheeks, and a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Jack reached his good hand out tentatively and touched Cat's arm. As soon as he touched her, he recoiled as though he'd been hit. Something was very, very wrong.

Cat was the coldest person Jack had ever met. But today her skin was burning hot.

He slowly reached out again and laid his fingers on her arm. The unnatural, overheated feeling of her skin was still there. It made him very nervous. Touching Cat's skin and finding it hot was like putting your fingers in fire and having them go numb. The sensation almost made his skin crawl.

Jack's head was still throbbing, and he ran his hand over his forehead and found the bandage there. He shivered unknowingly, and was surprised to see his shirt and jacket on the floor next in the corner. A pool of water had formed around them. He couldn't remember what had happened to him. There had been a storm the night before, but what had gone on? And what was the matter with Cat?

Unminding of the cool air, he sat up very, very slowly and looked at Cat again. Her face was turned towards the bed and her eyes were shut.

"Cat?" he said quietly, his voice ringing in his head. "Cat?"

There was no answer, so he tried again. "Cat!" he said a bit louder.

Nothing. Trying not to move his bandaged hand too much, he tilted her flushed face up. She was definitely very ill. Not that he felt so well himself. He wondered what had gone on the previous night.

Jack stood up carefully and dug some dry clothes from the pile on the chair. He turned to make sure Cat wasn't doing anything new, and then crept out of the room, his head feeling like it would explode with every step. He found Gibbs on the stairs, coming down to the galley.

"Cap'n!" Gibbs said in shock. He almost ran into Jack.

"Aye," Jack muttered pointlessly. "What happened?"

"You shouldn't be up wandering around." Gibbs tried to lead Jack back to his cabin.

"I'm fine. What's going on? And what's the matter with Captain Flynn?"

"Captain Flynn?" Gibbs looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen her?"

"No."

Jack led the way back to his cabin, where Cat remained slumped in the chair. Gibbs looked at her in horror, and finally managed to force Jack to sit down.

"What happened last night?" Jack asked again.

"There was a huge storm, and none of us could find you. Cap'n Flynn finally did, and she brought you down here. You were hurt something bad, and Jones bound your arm up. Cap'n fixed your head herself I guess."

"You mean she wasn't this way last night?"

"No sir. She was fine."

"Alright. Thank you Gibbs. Send Jones down, would you?"

"Aye."

Gibbs left quickly, and Jack leaned back in bed, trying to make his head stop pounding quite so much. He studied Cat, who turned restlessly in her sleep from time to time before curling up into a tiny ball in the chair. She began to shiver, her teeth chattering, and Jack found a spare blanket and covered her up. She was in the process of shivering it off again when Jones appeared.

"You're here, good," Jack said, trying not to sound concerned. "I want you to look at Captain Flynn."

"What happened? I saw her last night." Jones seemed outrightly shocked by her appearance. Cat had thrown the blanket off again, but she was still shivering violently. Jones reached out and placed a hand to her head. He recoiled as Jack had done.

"She's burning," he said, frowning.

"Aye, I can tell that," Jack snapped. "What's the matter with her?"

"She's got some kind of fever. Seems to me like all the trouble from the storm made something that was coming come a whole lot worse. You need to take her out of this chair."

Jones and Jack, who helped as much as he could with his hand and head the way they were, lifted Cat carefully from the chair and laid her on the bed. They covered her up with a light blanket.

"Watch her and try to make her drink some water," Jones said. "The doctor I were a 'prentice for said that a cold cloth helps too. But this is pretty bad, sir."

"Thank you Jones," Jack said, pouring some water from a pitcher onto a scrap of the shirtsleeve Cat had torn up the night before. He lay in on her forehead, almost surprised that it didn't sizzle against her skin. Jones shut the door quietly, leaving Jack to care for Cat on his own.

Afternoon came and went, and Jack went up to oversee the crew as they made minor repairs to the Pearl. He sent someone across to the Moon to bear the bad news. The crew there worried about their captain as they mended the sails and retied loose knots. There was a lot of waiting to be done. Jack returned to his cabin as the sun was going down, and Cat looked worse than ever. Her hair was damp and curled around her face, and her breathing seemed very shallow and unnatural. When she exhaled it sounded ragged. Jack replaced the cloth on her forehead with a new one, and brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face. Her cheeks were bright red.

Jack sat and watched Cat for some time, pausing to get a mug of rum from the galley and then returning. He eventually dozed off to the sound of her repetitive, labored breaths.

He awoke late in the night. The lantern had burned down low on the table next to his chair. At first he couldn't determine what had woken him; some sound perhaps. Then he realized it wasn't a sound that had made him wake up, it was the absence of a sound.

Cat wasn't breathing.

AN: Cliffhanger. I am a horrible human being, Y/N? Feel free to review and yell at me about it.


	20. Awakening

Disclaimer: I have a new Klaxons song, but still no Pirates. Blah blah legality.

AN: Okay, this marks two thirds of the way through the story. That's either exciting or disheartening, depending on how much you like this.

Chapter Twenty: Awakening

"Meet me in the morning when you wake" (Keane)

"Oh, hell," Jack murmured. He reeled out of the chair, knocking his bandaged arm on the side and cringing, and stood over Cat. Her face was flushed scarlet, but her lips looked dangerously tinted with blue. Reaching out reflexively, Jack sat her up in the bed, making her lean on the headboard. There was a tense moment when he thought it was no good, maybe she was already dead. Her skin seemed cool again, almost too cool. He stood dead still, willing her to do something.

Cat's eyes snapped open suddenly, her green irises stunningly round. She began gasping hurriedly, until a fit of coughing overtook her. When it ended, she leaned back weakly on the headboard and finally focused her eyes. It was then that she saw that someone was in the room with her.

"Jack?" she gasped uncertainly, her breath still coming unevenly.

Jack nodded, stunned by her sudden awakening. He had never felt so relieved in his life. There had been a few fleeting moments when he thought Cat was dead, and the feeling was unbearable. He stood and watched her breathe for several minutes until her breath settled into a regular pattern, then he came and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?" Cat managed to say quietly.

"I don't know much better than you do," Jack replied. "I woke up, and you were sitting there. You were red hot, and I knew something had to be wrong. You're the coldest person I've ever seen before."

Cat laughed, but it brought on another fit of coughing. This one wasn't as bad as the last, and she calmed down in a moment.

"I found you, last night on the deck. I don't know what you hit, but you were bleeding all over the place. Jones helped me with your arm, but I fixed your head myself. Then I sat down here, and I thought I would just wait for you to wake up."

"Well, it was a busy day for Jones then," Jack said. He had taken her hand, and the cadaverous coolness he was used to comforted him. "He helped me with you. You have some kind of fever."

"I felt strange last night, when I was here. But I didn't think about it at the time. I need to go back to the Moon."

Cat began to get up, but Jack made her stay where she was. "I don't think so. I think we both need to sit down for a little while. I'll send Gibbs over to the Moon to make sure everything's alright, but I'm sure your first mate can handle it for a little while."

"But the Moon. I need to make sure everything's alright. The storm was awful."

"Your crew can take care of it. Lay down."

Jack forced her to sit back again, and stretched out beside her. Cat resigned herself to staying where she was for a little while. Maybe if she just listened to Jack for a minute he would let her leave sooner. She stared up blankly at the ceiling, trying very hard not to think about the Moon. Finally she closed her eyes and listened to the quiet sounds of the ship; the decks creaking monotonously, the flap of slack sails, Jack breathing peacefully next to her. The chorus of sounds reminded her of mornings on the Pearl seven years ago, and she tried to block the thoughts from her head. But she found that she needed something to occupy her wandering mind.

Jack had fallen asleep, and she got up quietly. There was a weathered trunk sitting in the corner of the cabin, it had been there the last time she had been on the Pearl years ago. She hoped the contents were the same. Cat opened the dusty lid carefully, aware that the hinges screeched, and dug through the contents. Soon she found what she was looking for: An old deck of cards. She sat down at the little table in the room and dealt out a game of solitaire.

She won the game in a few minutes, and Jack awoke to the sound of cards shuffling. He tentatively opened one eye, and spotted Cat sitting at the table. She shuffled cards too easily for someone who only played casually with pirates. He assumed she had learned the tricks she was using now from some sort of society occasion. When she was done shuffling, she sat the deck down on the table. Without looking up, she spoke.

"Awake already Jack?"

Jack hadn't moved a muscle except to open one eye, and she had been looking at the cards the whole time. "How did you know?"

"You weren't breathing the same way. Old trick, I thought you would know it."

"Apparently not. Deal me in on your game," he said, getting up.

"It's solitaire," Cat commented. Jack sat back down.

Jack looked a bit pouty, remaining silent.

"Don't take it so hard. We could play something else."

"Not that. You always have to prove me wrong."

"It has become something of a habit."

"I could tell. Where did you learn to do all those card tricks?"

Cat had been shuffling the cards in all sorts of complex patterns, flipping them across the table and collecting them again. She put the deck down once more, suddenly self-conscious. Her expression faltered.

"I, I learned them a long time ago," she said uncertainly. "Before I knew you."

"Where?"

"Nowhere you would know of."

"Try me. I've been a lot of places. Like Singapore. Bloody fun that was…"

"You wouldn't know of it."

Cat wouldn't say any more about it, and Jack decided to let the subject drop. She had seemed very touchy. Jack was trying to think of some new topic to bring up when a sudden wave of dizziness from his head injury made him waver uneasily. Cat hurried over and propped him up just before he fell over.

"You need to be in bed," she said sternly. "You're worse off than me."

"Why not join me?" Jack replied. He winked at her and patted the other side of the bed.

"Neither of us is in any condition for anything but sleeping."

"Then we'll sleep. I don't want to be the only useless person on these two ships."

"You want me to be useless with you?"

"Exactly." Jack patted the bed again. "Jus' until tomorrow. Alright?"

Cat sighed. She knew Jack would nag her to no end. "Alright." She lay down on the bed with Jack, and he casually put his uninjured arm around her. Normally she would have shrugged it off, but Jack was already falling asleep and she wanted to leave him alone. He looked innocently peaceful for once. Instead, she leaned back against him and let his slowing heartbeat lull her off into a doze.

AN: This was a bit of a filler chapter, but I promise the next few are filled with piratey action and adventure. Arrr and savvy and all that.


	21. Strange Sights

Disclaimer: I own snow boots. Thank God. There is like a foot of snow here. It's rubbish.

AN: Okay, as promised, a little more excitement here. The next two chapters are some of my favorites, so wait and see. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter Twenty-One: Strange Sights

"And if the snow buries my neighborhood/Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours" (Arcade Fire)

Cat awoke to the sound of a door opening. The cabin had darkened, it was evening, and a light shone from the hallway. She sat up a bit, and Jack stirred next to her.

"Captain," Gibbs' head poked into the doorway, and his voice immediately dropped off. There was a stark silence as all three looked at each other.

"Oh, erm, sorry. I'll go then," Gibbs stammered. He turned.

"No! It isn't what you think!" Cat said quickly.

"Unfortunately," Jack added, just waking up.

"I wasn't thinking about.." Gibbs began. He drifted off and practically ran out of the room, slamming the door in his hurry.

"Dammit Jack," Cat muttered.

"Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Whatever. D'you realize what Gibbs obviously thinks we were doing?"

"Oh. Well, we could fix that."

"How?"

"We could do what he thought we were doing, and then he would be right, savvy?"

"Not savvy. And lay back down, you're making your head bleed again," Cat snapped.

Jack lay back obediently. "Sorry," he said quietly, as though he was hoping she wouldn't hear.

"It's okay. Gibbs coming in wasn't your fault."

"You're starting to sound like a pirate again," Jack commented.

"Thanks to you."

"Aye, I'm doing a good job." Jack grinned. He still looked half asleep.

"Go to sleep," Cat said, sounding annoyed suddenly. Her head hurt and she had the odd feeling that there was a weight on her chest. It was miserable, and she lay back to try and make her forehead stop throbbing. Unable to sleep from the shooting pains behind her eyes, she squinted into the darkness and watched Jack until he fell asleep again. She felt like she would never join him, but she must have drifted off because when she awoke again the sun was shining.

Jack was still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake him. She got up silently and crept to the door. Her head still hurt, but much less. She climbed out onto the deck of the Pearl, and was surprised at the gust of cold air that met her. Pulling Jack's borrowed jacket tightly around her shoulders, she walked slowly to the helm. It was early, no one was on deck at all here on the Pearl, and the Moon looked equally vacant.

Cat looked out over the ocean, and was extremely surprised to see land nearby. It was completely unexpected. But what came next was even more unusual. The land was white. They were far enough south for snow. Cat's mouth fell open. Living in the Caribbean, she had never seen snow before. She ran across the deck this time, not feeling the headache anymore, and burst into Jack's cabin. Jack awoke to the door slamming open against the wall, and sat up quickly, wincing.

"Bloody hell," he muttered sleepily.

Cat grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the door. "You've got to see this!" she insisted. Jack followed unenthusiastically, cursing under his breath.

"This had better be damned good," he warned as she dragged him to the helm. "What is"

Jack fell silent as he saw the island. "Snow," he finally whispered.

"Have you ever seen it before?"

"No…never…"

"Me either. Is this the island we want luv?"

"Don't call me luv." Cat didn't slap Jack; he had enough injuries for the time being. "Go get the compass and see."

Jack returned with the mug and the tiny piece of iron, and set it on the railing. The metal, which had before pointed stolidly in one direction, spun wildly in circles. "This is it."

There was a silence as they both digested the information. They had traveled for months, thousands of miles, and they were there. And there was snow. Both stared off into the shallows near the island, and then Jack turned.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the bloody crew!" Jack said, exasperated. "We're going to the island, aren't we?"

"Of course," Cat replied. "What are you waiting for?"

Cat made her way back to the Moon, and shook her first mate Jim awake. He sat bolt upright, nearly bumping foreheads with her, and jumped out of bed at the news. The crew was up almost instantly, running around the deck. They lowered the rowboat just in time to meet the crew of the Pearl. Together, both boats made their way across the choppy, grey water to the island they had been trying to reach for the last three months.

Pulling up onto the rocky, coarse-sanded beach, it was immediately apparent where the treasure would be. A huge cave dominated the lone rock formation on the land. The rest was bare, sandy beach, covered in a pale dusting of snow. Cat reached down onto the sand and picked up a handful of the fluff. The feel was strange in her hand. Most of the crew had never seen snow either, and they spent a happy few minutes examining the tiny white crystals.

But Jack was impatient, and soon he was pulling Cat away from the beach. She followed, feeling uncertain. The cave reminded her too much of the last time she and Jack had searched for treasure. When Knowles had hunted them down and begun Cat's seven years away from piracy. Thoughts of the horrible day made her nervous. Jack saw the hesitation in her step as they stood at the cave's entrance.

"Knowles is dead," he said quietly.

"I know."

"Then what are we waiting for? This treasure isn't coming out to meet us. No one else could ever find this island, especially not Knowles. You didn't make any enemies living in Port Royal did you Cat?"

"No," Cat answered, smiling. "I was just being stupid about this. We came too far for me to stop us now. Let's go."

They faced the dark entrance once more. Jack struck a match and lit the lantern they had carried from the Pearl, and they entered the suffocating dark of the cave.

AN: Umm...cliffhanger. Sorry. dodges objects that get thrown R&R if you so desire!


	22. Betrayers and Mutineers

Disclaimer: I own Burberry sunglasses, which I'm quite pleased about. Alas, no pirates.

AN: This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire story. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Betrayers and Mutineers

"I will let you down, I will make you hurt" (Johnny Cash)

The "cave" they had seen from the beach turned out to be a black, expansive cavern. Water streamed continuously down the walls, and dripped from the ceiling to form massive stalagmites and stalactites. Cat and Jack swerved constantly to avoid the pointed rocks that protruded every few feet. The cave was seemingly never-ending. They walked and walked, the only light guiding them the tiny yellow circle of Jack's lantern. After what seemed like hours, Jack stopped. Cat stopped too, only after running into him from behind. The floor was slick with water and they slid a few feet forward before coming to an uncertain stop.

"Save it for when we get back to the Pearl." Jack's grin glinted gold in the lantern light.

"Shut up," Cat said, but she wasn't really angry. "Why did you stop?"

"Because I have no bloody idea where we are. We could have missed some turn and be getting further away from the treasure every step."

Cat paused to think about this. It was very true. There was no map that led them once they passed into the cave, they had been relying on the treasure being easy to locate. But that obviously wasn't going to be the case. They had seen nothing since entering the complete darkness, and Cat estimated that it had been nearly an hour since they began. She leaned against the damp rock wall miserably, her headache returning in the heavy atmosphere of the cave.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked tiredly.

"I don't know. We could turn back."

"And then what? We came all the way from the bloody Caribbean. What kind of pirates would we be if we turned back now?"

Jack seemed to agree. He joined her leaning against the wall. Just as Cat looked over, the rough rock began to swing away behind him, and she could see tiny seams emerging in the wall.

"Jack look out!" she gasped, jumping away from the wall herself. Jack stumbled back into the opening doorway, shocked. Cat saw him fall back, and ran back to where a small door had been hewn from the stone. He had tripped over the step that led up from the rock door, and was sitting on the floor of a small chamber.

"I'm fine," he began, but he noticed that Cat wasn't paying any attention to him. She was staring avidly behind him, her mouth slightly open in shock. He turned quickly to see what she was looking at, and fell silent.

The tiny room was filled with piles of gold. Everywhere. Gold coins spilling from trunks, gold plates in stacks, tangles of jewelry crammed into boxes. Every piece glittered in the beam cast by the lantern. Cat was the first to speak.

"We found it," she murmured, her voice echoing off the bare rock walls.

"Wilde's Treasure," Jack replied. He stood up and walked towards the gold like he was in a trance. Cat followed, stopping at the first box of jewelry. She picked up a diamond necklace, every facet sparkling in the pale light of the lantern, and put it on. Turning back around, she found Jack up to his elbows in a trunk of gold. He picked out a huge handful of coins and grinned broadly.

"Worth the trip?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Half of this would have made it worth the trip. We could retire Jack."

"Captain Jack Sparrow. And why would we ever retire? Being a pirate is too much fun."

"That's true," Cat paused, surveying the room again. As she turned, she spotted something near the far wall. "What's that?"

Jack followed her glance, and spotted what she was looking at. There was a tiny, open box sitting on top of a broken rock. It was lined in red silk, and a huge diamond was lying in the middle. He grinned and went over to retrieve the gem, surely the most expensive thing in the entire room. But as he put a hand down on the box to pick it up, the broken rock shifted suddenly. Before Jack could get his balance, the floor had opened into a huge hole.

"Jack!" Cat shrieked. She heard a hard thump as he hit the bottom of the hole, and ran across the tiny room, tripping over boxes and mounds of gold. Reaching the edge of the hole, she picked up the lantern that Jack had dropped as he fell and held it over the side.

"Jack! Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

"Aye, I'm fine. How far down am I?"

Jack's voice sounded fairly close, but she couldn't tell how far. All Cat knew was that she couldn't see him in the darkness. The walls of the hole slanted out from the top, casting deep shadows.

"Cat?" Jack sounded nervous, understandably. "Is there anything up there? A rope or something?"

Cat looked around the room, but there was nothing. Only gold and boxes. Those certainly wouldn't do any good.

"No," Cat reported. "I'll go and get something from the ships. Just, try to stay calm."

Cat turned away from the hole, taking the lantern with her and having every intention of returning, when a flood of images began pouring into her mind. Waking up in a cave not so different from this one, in the dark. Being alone on an island. Seven years in Port Royal. And an image of Jack leaving her in the cave superimposed on all of them. Cat suddenly realized that she didn't want to rescue Jack. He didn't deserve it.

"Are you still there? How long are you going to be gone?" Jack's voice came faintly from the hole.

"A long time," Cat answered, a harsh tone coming out in her voice.

"What?" Jack sounded nervous. "Cat? What are you talking about?"

Cat began walking purposefully out of the room, then turned at the entrance. "Betrayers and mutineers Jack," she said, almost crying and laughing at the same time. "See you in hell."

AN: So...this is a rather stunning turn of events, no?


	23. Doubt

Disclaimer: No ownership. Move along, nothing to see here.

AN: So, I sense a little malice after that last chapter. Give it a chance, I promise things will turn out. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter Twenty Three: Doubt

"And when it runs out/We're chasing something we'll never catch" (Bloc Party)

Cat found her way blindly from the cave, stumbling over a seeming thousand rocks before she reached the pale grey sand and the equally grey light of the beach. The two crews looked stunned to see her alone, but no one wanted to be the one to ask. There was a very long silence, and Gibbs finally spoke up.

"Where's Cap'n Jack?"

Cat didn't have to think about it. She said the one thing no pirate would ever dream of questioning. "He fell behind."

The silence before was nothing compared to now. Gibbs stood dead still, his arms dropped to his sides. The rest of the crew of the Pearl was equally speechless. The crew of the Moon didn't seem to know what to do. They stood uncomfortably, shifting from foot to foot. Cat realized she had to get them away from the island. They would know something was wrong. They had to go now.

She cleared her throat. "We have to go. Everyone knows the code. To the ships."

"What about the treasure?"

"There was a, a, cave in," Cat stammered. "I was lucky to escape. The treasure is lost."

A sense of even greater defeat came over the crews. An endless voyage and the loss of their captain, for nothing. Not even a gold coin. They began to drag the boats back into the restless surf silently. Cat followed and helped the crew of the Moon push their boat from the sand, then row back to the ships anchored in the steel grey water. As soon as they reached the Moon, she went silently to her cabin and locked the door behind her.

Standing in the cabin, looking at the closed door, Cat began to have horrible doubts. Maybe she shouldn't have done what she did. Maybe it had been stupid, vengeful. Maybe she should have thought before she left Jack there. But he would have done the same…maybe.

There was a glass on the table next to Cat, and she picked it up and hurled it at the closed door. It shattered violently, spraying glass shards all over the cabin.

"Why Jack? Why the hell can't I ever decide what I think of you?! Why does everything have to be so damn complicated!"

Cat realized she was screaming pointlessly at the closed door. She took a breath and tried to calm herself down. Turning around, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was blown partially loose from the wind and flecked with glittering bits of glass and droplets of water. There was water on her face too, and as she reached up to brush it away she realized she was crying.

"Let it go," she told her reflection bitterly. "It's too late to do anything about it."

Shaking the water and glass from her hair, Cat curled up on the bed and fell into a horribly dream filled sleep.

She and Jack were standing on the deck of the Pearl, and the sun was rising over the Caribbean. It was a warm, humid morning, and the moisture in the air had turned the sunrise blood red. Neither were nervous, they didn't believe the silly sailing superstition. Instead they were looking forward to a trip home in a few days. They were on their way to Alban's treasure, and it was a perfect day.

"Ready to go home?" Jack asked, leaning on the rail and looking at the sun's reflection in the water.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to visiting Tortuga with a few extra pieces of gold. I'm sure you are too," Cat answered. "You always have a few friends to see."

"Don't act like that's all I do in Tortuga."

Cat turned and raised her eyebrows at him.

"I have a few bottles of rum too, savvy?"

"Expanding your horizons, are you?" Cat commented.

"Never min' me. What are you doing in Tortuga?"

"I don't know. I'm not for company quite like yours."

"Hope not," Jack said, grinning. "But how about myself, not my company?"

The five on Cat's finger still stood out from a few nights before. She could almost feel it as she looked out calmly over the ocean. "I don't know. When we get to Tortuga, savvy?"

"All right. Don't know where you get off using savvy though." Jack slipped a friendly arm over Cat's shoulders, and much to her own surprise, she didn't shrug it away. It was a perfect moment, one of Cat's favorite memories with Jack. But it would end too soon. The sun rose and faded from red, and Cat sailed closer to seven years of ladyship.

In the pale predawn light, Cat awoke in her cabin. She needed to get some fresh air, and walked up onto the deck. No one was around, as usual for the early morning. They were setting sail later, and the ships were still anchored near the island. Cat could see it in the west, nondescript and grey. But she was horrified by the sight of it. She turned away from the island, looking to the east, and her mouth dropped open.

The sun was rising red.

Cat was running down the stairs to Jim Cullen's cabin before she had time to think. What if something had happened to Jack? The door to Jim's cabin was stuck, and she kicked it viciously until it opened. Jim was woken by surprise for the second time. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, as Cat began babbling at him.

"You have to go get Jack! Now! The cave- I lied, and he's there and you need to go get him. Get the lantern and go. Please Jim he's in there!"

Jim was only half awake. "What? Stop and take a breath and tell me again. What happened?"

Cat sat down on the end of the bed. "Listen to me! Jack is alive in the cave! When he got stuck in that hole, all I could think about was seven years ago, and him leaving me on that island. And I thought about that and it was the worst feeling I've ever had. And I know exactly how he's feeling now, and even Jack doesn't deserve that. Please, you've got to go get him."

"You mean Jack's alive? You left him there for dead? And lied to the crew? They'll bloody well keelhaul you for this."

"I know. Whatever happens, I'll take the blame. But I can't let him die. Jim, you've been my friend for ten years and more. If this is the last thing you ever do for me-if you hate me for the next ten years-just do this."

"I'll go," Jim said quietly. He slipped on his coat and walked out the door, leaving Cat alone in the dim cabin.


	24. Silence

Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas les choses de pirates. Je ne suis pas francais. Alors, je ne sais pas pourquoi la texte est en francais maintenant.

AN: So, time for another chapter! Umm...sorry these last few have been kind of bummers. Thanks for sticking with it and thanks for the reviews!

Chapter Twenty Four: Silence

"Don't give me that face, I know when I should/ Live in disgrace, not dig up the deadwood" (Dirty Pretty Things)

Cat watched Jim row back a short time later. The figure hunched in the boat beside him was clearly Jack. It had started raining while they had been gone, and the drops of water flecked her hair just like last night. She watched the rowboat cut slowly through the grey of the ocean, then turned away. The Moon had to be ready to leave soon. She knew Jack wouldn't have anything to say to her. And she was afraid what the crews would have to say. But that was something she would have to face when the time came.

Instead of returning to her own cabin, she went to Jim's empty one and sat in a small chair in the corner. It would at least take them longer to find her here. Not that it would do her much good. Pirate crews weren't very kind to betrayers. She winced thinking what would happen to her when the crews passed judgment about her. And she realized Jack, who had once been her closest friend, wouldn't help her this time.

There was no telling how long Cat sat in the still, empty cabin. The rain made the day sunless and time didn't seem to pass. But she eventually heard a mad riot of footsteps around the decks, and knew the crews had heard Jack's story. The raised voices of sailors from the Moon and the Pearl came closer and closer, and then they were outside the door of the cabin. Cat shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the door opening, and waited for the inevitable.

"She's in here!"

Cat was dismayed to hear that the voice was Jim's, possibly the only other person she had retained any hope in. Well, it was all over now.

"I'm sorry about this Cap'n," he said quietly, pulling her out of the wooden chair. Cat had been sitting there so long that her legs were half asleep, and she stumbled. Jim helped her along, but there was no friendship in his motions. Only his eyes showed how painful it was for him to do this. Cat met his glance at one point, begging him to help her with her eyes. He looked away stolidly, and wouldn't look into her face again. They reached the grey pall of the outdoors, and the crew was standing around the rails. The Pearl's crew was there too, including Jack.

Gibbs joined Jim next to Cat, and they led her over to the rail. Cat anticipated the dreaded plank, in this cold water a walk off of it would be death in a few minutes. But she was surprised to see the same old rowboat that had just returned Jack to the Pearl. Her trunk was loaded in the bottom, along with another crate. Cat's face went totally blank. They weren't going to maroon her, they weren't going to keelhaul her, they were simply going to abandon her. In a rowboat. In the middle of one of the emptiest, most dangerous oceans in the world.

"Step in Cap'n," Jim said very quietly.

Cat did so silently. As she turned to sit down, she caught a glimpse of Jack over Gibbs' shoulder. He was standing against the mast, arms crossed, face set. There was none of the old grin she was used to, no sparkle of those bright brown eyes, nothing. She had thought of saying something to him, but that face stopped her dead. She looked up at Jim, blinking tears away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, about all this," she said, looking back at the Moon. "Take good care of the Moon."

"I'll do that."

Jim tried to smile, but it didn't work on his sad face. He and Gibbs began lowering the boat into the drab water. The wooden slats of the bottom slapped onto the sea, and it settled high in the choppy waves. She watched as the two men untied the ropes that had lowered it down, and the coarse lengths fell into the boat around her. Cat sat, hands tucked into her coat pockets, and watched as the two ships turned slowly away from her. They became more and more distant, and she continued to watch until they faded into the mist at the horizon. She was alone, completely alone, in the pressing silence of the ocean.

Cat lost track of all time, watching the ships, and was shocked to see that the sky was fading to a darker grey. She decided to open the trunk and the crate.

The trunk was just her things. The black dress and shoes, the jewelry, the odds and ends she'd brought from the house in Port Royal. It was uninteresting and not particularly helpful, and she closed it to keep it out of the rain.

The other crate held modest provisions; some water and a little bit of food. It would last her a week, maybe, if she spared as much as she could each day. Cat closed this as well, and found an old piece of sailcloth in the bottom of the boat. She spread it over the board seats to make a shelter from the rain and fell asleep on the hard bottom of the boat.

Over the next two days, Cat determined that the current was carrying her quickly north. The rains ended, and a glaring sun appeared in the sky. She was pleased to be going north, until the weather changed. It became warmer each day. Cat was terrified of using her water up, and drank the least she could each day, huddling in the hot, dark space under the sailcloth to keep out of the baking sun. Her tanned skin chapped from constant exposure to the salt spray, and her lips bled every time she moved her mouth. There came a point, on the sixth day, when she began to wish for death.

The sixth night fell all the same, and the seventh day after that. It was too hot to stay under the cloth, and she sat lifelessly in the stern of the boat. Her water would be gone soon. Cat looked out over the ocean, her eyes no longer dazzled by the sunlight on the waves, and was shocked to see the outline of a dark ship against the silvery water. It was close, and she knew somehow that it would see her. She made a weak attempt to wave at it, but the heat and lack of water got the best of her. Swaying drunkenly for a moment, she eventually slumped over in the bottom of the boat.

AN: Oh hi cliffhangers, glad you could come back and join us. Review and stuff, you know the drill.


	25. Rescue and Reunion

Disclaimer: Own nothing. This is getting very abbreviated.

AN: I just started another story, because this one is coming to a close. It's called Pearls and Pirates, and you should check it out, because it's pretty awesome. (Okay, so I have a bias, but really, it's good.) Also, thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing here!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Rescue and Reunion

"Maybe…you're gonna be the one that saves me" (Oasis)

"Miss? Miss?" A British voice sounded quietly in Cat's head. She opened her eyes onto a blindingly whitewashed cabin. The sun was shining, and mosquito netting, pulled back, was in the corner of her eye. She shifted her head and saw a young naval officer bending over her anxiously.

"Miss?"

"Yes-oh!" Cat felt her lip crack open again, and touched her face. Her finger was red when she lifted it away.

The naval officer offered her a handkerchief, and she took it slowly. While she dried the blood from her lips, he poured her a glass of water and pressed it into her hand. Cat took a few grateful sips, and set it down on a table next to the bed she was on. She didn't recognize the white pants and naval issue shirt she had on, and wondered where her own clothes were. Searching the cabin, she found them crumpled on a chair, dirty and salty looking, with flecks of rust color where her lips had dripped blood. It was obvious why she didn't have them on anymore. They certainly didn't look fit to wear.

"Where am I?" she asked, trying not to move her mouth.

"You are on the H.M.S. Lawley, Miss-erm…"

"Flynn. Catherine Flynn."

"Miss Flynn. I'm Lieutenant Wells. Do you feel as though you could speak with the captain? He asked me to alert him when you awoke."

"Certainly." Cat returned to her lady's accent. These people couldn't know she was a pirate.

"He will be here shortly then."

Lieutenant Wells gave a short bow and left the room. It was a very short time indeed before the ship's captain returned. He was tall and thin with greying dark hair, very distinguished. Uniform very neatly pressed. Probably done by Wells, from the way the lieutenant had practically sprinted to fetch the captain, he seemed to be the onboard brown noser. No matter though. She needed to focus on the new arrival.

"Miss Flynn I am informed? I am Captain Jackson. May I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course. I am very grateful of your kindness already sir."

"I must ask you, first and foremost, how you came to be stranded in that miserable little boat."

Cat paused. She needed a plausible story. Then a stroke of genius came to her. It wasn't as though this hadn't happened before. She took a deep breath, tried to look distressed, and began.

"I was traveling from England, and my ship was attacked by pirates…"

Cat told her "story" emotionally, accepting another handkerchief from the captain when she came to the part where the pirates killed her sister, sniffling when she told of their cruelty to her, wiping away a tear when she was put out onto the ocean. It was almost scary how well she told the tale. When she finished the story, the captain patted her hand gently.

"It was lucky indeed we found you, my dear girl. Now, would you please tell me where you would like to return to? The crew would be pleased to take you back to safety."

Cat had to think for a moment. Port Royal? No, she didn't have anything to look forward to there. Then she knew. She needed to return to her port. Tortuga.

"Hispaniola," she said.

The captain raised his eyebrows momentarily. He obviously knew that the island housed Tortuga. But the other side of the island was a respectable town. He quickly assumed she would be going there, and nodded to her.

"Certainly, Miss Flynn. If you find you need anything else during the voyage, please ask. We should reach Hispaniola in a month or a bit more."

"Thank you captain."

The weeks passed with surprising speed, and Cat soon found herself packing away a few of her things. They would reach the island in the morning. She stepped up onto the deck for a walk around the terribly neat rails, and could already see the far distant gleam of the town's lights on the edge of the horizon. A smile broke across her face, in spite of the troubles she knew she would face when she reached Tortuga. No matter what, she was going home.

"I am so thankful for all you've done sir," Cat said the next morning. Captain Jackson was walking down the gangplank with her, Wells followed with her one trunk. They stood about on the dock for a few minutes, making the required formalities. It was time to go.

"You're sure you don't want us to escort you to your uncle's house?" Jackson said, concerned.

"No, I'm sure of it. I'll be fine. He lives so close, and I can't ask any more of you fine people."

"If that is the way you feel, Miss Flynn. It was a pleasure."

The Captain shook her hand momentarily, and Wells sat the trunk down beside her. Cat offered him her hand as well, and he took it for a moment.

"Thanks are in order for you too, Lieutenant Wells," she said politely.

"You're very welcome miss." Wells smiled shyly, and then followed the captain back to the ship. Cat watched it turn from the harbor, sailing back to Port Royal she imagined. When it was far from the dock, she picked up the light trunk, hailed a passing carriage and driver, and stepped inside. She had still been wearing the naval clothes, and dug through her things. Some officer had, for an unknown reason, washed and returned the pirate clothes to her. Not that she was upset about this, it was a good thing. She changed quickly in the carriage, and was back to her old self as she stepped out onto the familiar streets of Tortuga.

Cat threw some coins to the driver, pulled her wide hat low over her eyes, and found the nearest inn. She needed a place to stay until she found out what had happened to the Moon. There was a room available on the top floor of a small house nearby, and she put her trunk there. No one was about on the streets in the day, and she waited through the long afternoon. It was nine when she returned to the homey streets full of taverns.

Turning the corner to visit the Thief's Pocket, Cat nearly tripped over a person. Some old drunk, she thought, annoyed, but turned to apologize anyway. The man, slumped against a wall on the dirty sidewalk, had his face down, and a nearly empty bottle in his filthy hand. His sleeve was torn. Cat did a double take.

There was a sparrow tattoo.

AN: Of course, the return of Jack is imminent!


	26. Bad News

Disclaimer: see previous chapters

AN: So...we are getting close to the end, but there's a whole lot of awesome to come. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Also, if you haven't done so, check out my other story, Pirates and Pearls.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Bad News

"For a minute, I lost myself/I lost myself" (Radiohead)

"Jack?"

"What the hell do you…want?"

Jack's words were slurred more than usual; he had been drinking very heavily. He turned his bloodshot eyes up and saw Cat, standing above him, her mouth gaping open in shock. Jack stared. Cat gaped. There were several more minutes of staring and gaping. The sound of Jack dropping the empty bottle, and the glass smashing, brought Cat back to reality. She took a sharp breath and closed her mouth.

"Well? What is it, stupid wench?"

Cat nearly kicked the hell out of him, but resisted the urge. Jack looked like a good kick or two would finish him off. Instead she tried to remain the sane one in the conversation.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"What does it bloody look like?"

"It looks like one of the Caribbean's best pirates is sitting dead drunk in a filthy alley," Cat snapped. "Now tell me what you're doing here."

The harsh glare left Jack's eyes. "The Pearl is gone. And the Moon too luv."

Cat was silent. The Pearl and the Moon? Gone? She pulled Jack up from the dirty cobbles. "Come on, I need to hear about this, but not out in the middle of the street."

She had seen Jack really drunk, and even then he could walk competently. But as they began, he stumbled into Cat, nearly knocking her into the gutter. She pushed him back up onto the sidewalk, but he promptly tipped over again. Cat looked down at his left leg. His pants were stained with a huge splotch of blood that ran from mid-thigh down past his knee. He seemed unable to put any kind of weight on the leg. Cat winced, it looked terribly painful.

"Oh no," she said under her breath. Jack heard her anyway.

"What?"

"Jack, look at your leg!"

Jack peered shortsightedly downward, nearly falling over again in the process. "Oh, that? Hardly hurts. Don't worry 'bout me."

"It doesn't hurt because you've had about eight bottles of rum. Come on, let me help you."

"I'm fine lass." Jack took another staggering step and almost fell. Cat managed to keep him up, propping his arm around her shoulders. The smell of rum from his breath and clothes was so strong it was almost intoxicating. They managed to make their way slowly back to Cat's room. She was practically dragging him up the stairs by the end. A maid at the far end of the hall gave Cat a worried glance and began to scurry away nervously.

"You!" Cat said quickly. "Have a bath drawn. And not a word about him." She tossed the girl a generous gold coin. "Hurry up."

Cat opened the door to the room and half carried Jack inside. He looked even worse in the light. She couldn't put him on the bed, he was covered in dirt and blood. Glancing around, she settled for a wooden chair in the corner and propped him there. The girl from the hall returned shortly, bringing up hot water for the bathtub in the corner. It took her a few trips, and when she finally left Cat locked the door tightly.

"We've got to get you cleaned up first of all." Cat sounded rather stern, even to herself. "What happened to your leg?"

"Navy finally caught up to us-the Pearl and the Moon. One captain can't defend both ships. Some little wanker of a sailor caught me with a sword. And they captured the ships."

"The crews?" Cat asked, horrified.

"All right. Calm down. Left us for dead in the boats. We got to shore. Sounds like you, eh?"

Cat smiled a little at him. "Do you know where the ships are?"

"I heard they're going to auction in Port Royal soon."

The smile faded. "Well, oh." There was nothing to say to that sort of news. "In any case, we've got to fix your leg." Cat began pulling off Jack's dirty coat. "Help me out a bit?" she prompted.

"Oh, sorry."

Jack shrugged awkwardly out of the coat, but wasn't up to unbuttoning his shirt. Cat knelt in front of the chair and did it for him, then sat down and pulled his boots off as well. She piled everything carefully, and added his hat. His loosely tied sash and disgustingly bloody pants were left. Cat unwrapped the sash, a difficult task with Jack slumped over in the chair, and piled his pistol and sword with his clothes.

She studied the ruined pants; they were plastered to his left leg with blood, and she was terrified what she would find. A nasty infection, another cut requiring stitches. Cat winced inwardly at the prospect of having to give him stitches again.

"All right then," she said quietly, pulling him out of the chair. Jack swayed forward and nearly fell, but he seemed to be doing a little better. Cat sighed, realizing this would be really awkward, as well as possibly very painful for Jack. It would be better to have it over with.

Cat positioned Jack in a place where he would fall back into the bath, unbuckled his belt, and pulled off his pants. The bloody patch made an agonizing rip as it tore away from his skin, and he tripped backwards and landed in the water.

"Goddam it!" he slurred. A string of unintelligible cursing followed, and Cat threw down the filthy, now ragged pants.

"Would you people be quiet!?" a loud voice barked from the room below.

Cat was unimaginably annoyed. "Bugger off!" she yelled back, and stomped about for good measure. The voice's owner apparently thought better of saying anything else. "Let me see your leg," she said in a normal tone.

"This isn't exactly fair," Jack said suddenly. "You need a few less clothes, savvy?"

Cat felt suddenly tired. "Listen, I'm trying to help you before your bloody leg falls off. Now let me see it."

Jack managed to prop his foot on the end of the bathtub, giving her a view of his left leg. She breathed a sigh of relief. The cut was shallow, just a long narrow gash. It didn't seem infected, but she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. A piece of soap was sitting on the dresser in the room, and Cat pressed it into Jack's hand.

"Here, clean up a little. I'll be back soon."

"All right." Cat picked up his clothes, leaving the hat, boots and sword behind, and left Jack alone. In the hall she spotted the girl again. She shoved the coat, shirt and sash at her, added another coin, and said that they had better be washed and drying by the time she came back. Then she walked out into the night, pitching the ruined pants into the nearest alley.

Cat managed to find a replacement for the pants in a tiny corner shop, and returned briefly. She opened the door, uncertain what she would find, and smiled. The clothes were drying, laid out on the chair, and Jack had fallen asleep on the bed. He looked suitably clean, and very peaceful. Cat didn't want to wake him, so she left the pants on the floor, pulled off her boots, and climbed into bed as well. It would be harmless, Jack was probably half passed out, and dead asleep if he wasn't. She smiled again, glad to have a friend, and fell asleep.


	27. A Mission, Quest, Thing

Disclaimer: About this whole disclaimer thing. It's just uncalled for.

AN: It is lovely to be on spring break finally, and lovely to get a chance to update this. Hope you enjoy chapter 27, and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Mission, Quest, Thing….

"I'll love you in the morning, when you are hung over, I'll love you in the morning."

-Bloc Party

The sun shining brightly through the curtains woke Cat the next morning. She yawned, and suddenly noticed Jack's arms around her waist. He was hugging her tightly against him in his sleep, the warmth of his skin seeping through her linen shirt. Cat almost pulled away from him, but when she moved he muttered something and pulled her closer. There was something strangely innocent in his mumbled tone, and Cat wanted him to sleep. She settled herself comfortably and listened to him breathe until the repetitive sound lulled her to sleep again as well.

"Hello there. Where did you come from?"

Jack's quiet voice in her ear woke Cat for the second time. She turned slightly to face him, and smiled at his sleep bleary eyes. He was squinting in the light a little, and closed his eyes to the sun.

"Too much rum?" Cat asked.

"Aye, a little. And you won't hear me say that again, so remember it."

Cat laughed a little, and she could feel his muscles shift as he laughed with her. She was unaccustomed to their closeness; it had been a long time since the days on the Pearl years ago. It was a pleasant feeling and Cat unconsciously curled closer against him. She felt Jack leaning up on one elbow, and turned to see what he was doing. Still turning to face him, Jack caught her lips gently, then less gently, and drew her against him.

Cat had nearly forgotten the feeling of his kiss, and her mind blanked as she kissed him back, her cool hands pinned on his chest between them. Jack drew her lips apart, his tongue tasted of cloying rum and she could smell the faint scent of soap in his hair. The combination was oddly perfect, and Cat was drawn deeply into his kiss. But she felt his fingers, back to their old agility, slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt, and pushed him away gently.

"Not now Jack."

"Why not?" He had undone the first two buttons, and traced her collarbone with a light finger. Cat shivered, and regained control of herself,

"There are things we need to do."

"This seems like a good start."

"I can get you the Pearl back."

Jack's hand fell away momentarily. "You can." It returned. "After this."

"No, right now."

"An hour, half an hour…"

Cat was pulling away a bit. She smiled suddenly. "How about this-when you get the Pearl back."

"What about it?"

"Let's just say you won't be alone your first night home."

Jack nearly leapt out of bed. "Let's hear this plan then. I like it already."

Jack's attempted agility had turned out to be something of a stumbling swagger, as usual. Cat helped him collect his scattered clothes, and dug through her trunk while he dressed. Her black dress was in perfect order still, despite all her travels. She laid it out, brushing a few stray specks of dust off. When she turned around from the bed, she nearly ran into Jack, who was standing above her.

"What's all this?"

"Getting back the Pearl and the Moon isn't going to be easy, but I thought about it last night. How do you feel about stealing some money?"

Jack grinned. "How much?"

"A lot."

"Sounds like fun. Tell me more."

"Alexander has a masked ball every year, and this year's is two weeks from now. I go to the ball, steal Alexander's checkbook, and we can buy back the Pearl and the Moon before you can say "why is the rum gone?" How does it sound?"

"Sounds like something worthy of Captain Jack Sparrow. One question-what do you mean 'you go to the ball'? Just you?"

"Just me."

"And why is that?" Jack seemed affronted.

"Because I didn't think you would be willing to give up your hair for a wig, an' I didn't think the pirate brand would go over really well with the society crowd."

"Oh," Jack paused. "Er, good thinking."

"So now we jus' need to get to Port Royal in a fortnight."

"No problem luv. Leave it to me."

"Jack, this wasn't what I had in mind when I said we needed to get to Port Royal." Cat's mouth was set in a hard line.

"Well excuse me, Lady Catherine," Jack paused, bowing and waving his hands elaborately. "I didn't realize you would only travel in first class accommodations."

"Shut up."

"Now hurry up, or the ship'll be leaving."

Cat stepped up onto Jack's laced fingers, and squeezed through the open porthole facing the dock. It was a tight fit, and she stood on a box inside to help Jack in. He barely fit through, and her final pull sent him flying into the cargo hold. Cat fell off her box, accidentally hitting him with her elbow.

"Bloody 'hell," Jack muttered. "This ain't the Pearl."

"I'll call you Captain States the Obvious from now on," Cat responded sourly.

"This is going to be a long two days," Jack said quietly, sitting down on a crate of oranges.

Cat took a seat on some cotton sacks. "You're telling me."

AN: Umm...what do I usually put here? Something about reviews and cliffhangers. So imagine it was really clever and stuff.


	28. Dressing Room

Disclaimer: After 28 chapters, you know I own nothing.

AN: Right, chapter 28! Hope you all are enjoying, because we are almost done! And, more self promo, check out Pearls and Pirates, which I am updating on like...off days of this. Thanks for the reviews everyone!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dressing Room

"Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty" (Springsteen)

Cat took a deep breath. It was the evening of the ball, and it was time to get dressed. Her black dress was all ready, her jewelry chosen. Jack had found her a simple black mask for the occasion, and he was sitting lazily in a chair, tipping it back on two legs and taking an occasion swig from a bottle. Cat was inexplicably nervous. She had been to a thousand of these parties as Alexander Powell's wife-why would this be any different?

Because now she was going as Cat Flynn.

But, what mattered was that she and Jack would be getting their ships back soon. This brought a grin to her tan face. The Moon back, and with it her old life. She turned to Jack.

"Alright, out."

"What?" Jack leaned forward, his chair's front legs clunking on the floor.

"I have to get dressed for this party."

"So?"

"Jack. Go."

Jack's annoying stubborn streak was showing. "Why bother? Like you said-Nothing I haven't seen."

"Because I'm not one of your bloody whores. If you want the Pearl back you'll get your lazy pirate ass out of here."

Sighing, Jack stood up and left. Cat heard him sit down in the hallway, leaning against the wall. She turned the room's key and began dressing for the ball. Everything was fine for a few moments-the multiple layers of petticoats and slips fit. They were a bit loose, she had lost a lot of weight in the rowboat. But she realized there would be trouble when she picked up the corset. There was no way she could tighten and tie it herself.

Maybe the dress would fit without it on. Cat picked up the fancy black garment and slipped it over her head. It wouldn't button. She remembered standing at the dressmaker's in her corset-it was made for wearing with one. She sighed. The last thing she wanted was to have to get Jack to help her. Vainly, she tried one more time to lace the corset herself, but it wasn't going to happen. Unlocking the door, she opened it a crack. Jack was sitting next to it, humming an indiscriminate tune and tapping his fingers on the floor.

"Jack? Could you come here a minute?"

He looked up and flashed her a grin. "Changed your mind then?"

"Shut up. I need your help."

"Now luv, you've been getting dressed your whole life, I thought you might've mastered it by now."

"Once again, shut up." Cat shut the door behind him.

She slipped on the corset and handed him the ends of the laces. "Now do me a favor and pull."

Jack gave a tentative tug at the strings, and Cat sighed. "Honestly, you've unlaced enough corsets in your life, I'm sure you know what they should be like. It's got to be tighter than that."

"Fine then." Jack pulled as hard as he could. Cat gasped, and nearly fell over.

"Let it go!" she hissed, her eyes snapping open. "You're going to break my ribs you bastard!"

"You wanted it tighter," he said, smiling coolly.

"Let me put this in terms you can grasp," Cat said, glaring. "Loosen the corset or your sociables will be fairly sociable with my knee." She gave him a mirror of his taunting smile.

Jack jumped back about a foot, letting the corset come loose. Cat gasped in a few breaths, and finally Jack laced it normally. He stood back when he finished, and looked her over unabashedly.

"You look very pretty," he said, and took a step toward her. "Now, that ball is a few hours away yet."

"Knee," Cat replied. Jack stopped dead.

"I'll wait outside."

Cat waved sweetly as he closed the door, and finished dressing. She let Jack back in as she arranged her hair, twisting it up neatly and pinning it back. The humid summer air made curls around her face, and a few were loose. Finally, she picked up a necklace. She was about to fasten it when Jack appeared behind her in the mirror.

"Wait a minute," he said, and pulled an oblong box out of his coat pocket. "This

was begging to be bought when I was getting your mask."

"Bought?"

"Something like that."

Jack pulled a necklace out of the box and slipped it around her neck. It was diamonds and pieces of jade strung together. The jade matched her eyes. Cat smiled and admired the effect in the mirror.

"It's the nicest thing anyone's ever stolen for me," she said, laughing. She stood up, and turned in front of the mirror. The look shocked her; she had grown accustomed to herself as a pirate again. Looking like a lady was unusual. Turning fully, she caught a glimpse of Jack's face. He was stunned. The portrait was one thing, but Cat actually in front of him, dressed like a lady, was something completely different. It took a conscious effort for him to close his mouth and form a thought or two.

"How do I look?" Cat asked, still glancing at the mirror.

Jack was silent. Perfect. Cat as a pirate was beautiful, but Cat as a lady was…stunning. It took all the self restraint he had ever possessed to not throw her on the bed that second and ravage her. He tried to form some sort of reasonable answer, but it came out sounding somewhat garbled. "Grea-like a –you look…"

"I'll take that as a positive response," Cat said, adopting her lady's accent. She was smiling, and slipped on her mask. Now, I believe there is a bit of plundering awaiting us Captain Sparrow. Shall we?"

Jack offered her a gallant arm, and they descended from the hotel, stepped into a carriage, and drove away into the failing light of a Caribbean evening. They were both smiling, Jack because Cat looked better than his wildest dreams, and Cat because she was going to be sailing soon. This was going to be a night to remember, for Cat, Jack and a very unfortunate man named Alexander Powell.

AN: Oh cliffhangers, where would I be without you? Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	29. The Caribbean Job

Disclaimer: Nothing in terms of ownership

AN: Hello...it's been a rather long break, hasn't it. Sorry about that, the end of the semester is almost here and that means loads of work. Anyhow, here's an update. Thanks to those who reviewed!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Caribbean Job

"I could have been someone/ Well so could anyone" (The Pogues)

"So have you got the plan down?" Cat asked. She and Jack were sitting in the carriage, heading across town to Cat's former home. Cat played with her mask nervously as Jack answered.

"Aye, I know the plan. You'll point out the right window to me, and I'll wait there. When you have to leave, you knock on the window, I let you out, and we're headed to the auction."

"You forgot hope I'm not found out," Cat said, frowning slightly.

"And you forgot not to think about it. Things'll go fine," Jack said reassuringly. He smiled, but Cat wasn't convinced. Her face was still clouded as she slipped on the mask. The carriage was slowing, and they turned from the cobbled road onto the crunching stone of Powell's driveway.

"That one, fourth from the right," Cat instructed, pointing out the window as it appeared from behind some trees.

"Alright. See you in a few hours."

Jack stole out the left side of the carriage as the driver stepped down to help Cat out. Taking as deep a breath as she could in the corset, Cat set out for the front door to what had once been her home. Reaching the entrance, she didn't knock for the butler to answer the door, she just let herself in. The party had already begun in the ballroom, she could hear the music.

There was no way Cat could leave through the window unnoticed until night fell, so she wandered into the crowd at the ball. Everyone was masked, but she spotted Alexander quickly enough. He was chatting with someone-probably a business associate. Part of his face was blocked by his mask, but from what she could see, Alexander looked older than when she had last seen him. Cat felt a sudden pang of guilt-he had probably worried about his missing wife for months. This dampened her spirits, which had been high at the thought of getting the Moon back, and she left the ballroom and wandered around the house, killing time.

Finally, the clock was striking ten in the foyer and Cat decided it was time to act. She left the ballroom, which she had returned to, and set out for her old bedroom. Rounding the corner that led to the east wing of the house, she nearly collided with Alexander.

"Oh, pardon me miss," he said kindly, his polished smile appearing.

Cat suppressed her sudden urge to scream in shock. "My fault entirely," she replied.

"You seem terribly familiar," Alexander trailed off, "but I can't place you."

Stepping back into a deep shadow, Cat answered nervously. "That is, if I may say so, the point of a masked ball."

"So it is."

"I was stepping out for a moment to catch a breath of fresh air, you will excuse me."

"Of course."

Alexander bowed gracefully and returned to the ball. Cat nearly sprinted down the hall, her heart in her throat the whole way. She had been terrified Alexander had recognized her, and was amazed he hadn't. After what seemed an eternity, she reached the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and took a few breaths. When she felt less shaky, Cat found the safe, hidden behind a painting of a fox hunt, and picked the lock with a knife she'd had in her pocket.

The checkbook was there, in its leather case, and Cat picked it up, beaming, and tucked it away in the bodice of her dress. This done, she closed the safe and returned the painting. Now all she had to hope for was that Jack was waiting for her.

The bedroom window was on the second story, and Cat knocked on it quietly. Nothing. She knocked again, and was about try and open it herself-a difficult task, the window was heavy and prone to sticking shut, when Jack's face appeared outside. Per her instructions, he had climbed a trellace next to the window, and was standing on it now, pushing the window up slowly.

"I was coming, bloody hell, I'm not a damn monkey," he said, helping her out onto the trellace with him. It was dangerous and precarious with Cat's cumbersome dress, and he had to half carry her down. But they finally reached the bottom. Cat pulled a leaf from her hair, and saw Jack's anxious expression.

"What?" she asked.

"The checkbook?"

Cat pulled it from its safe place in her dress. Jack grinned. "I could've gotten it for you."

"Will there ever be a time when you don't make a perverse comment to me?" Cat said, smiling.

"I'm not planning on it. If I forget, be sure to let me know."

They continued back to the hotel, weaving surreptitiously through the back alleys of Port Royal to avoid Jack being seen. Cat's watch read one when they finally entered their room. She threw the checkbook onto a table, and turned to Jack as she took off her shoes.

"You'll have to help me again," she said, looking vaguely annoyed.

"No worries, this is the part I'm used to," Jack replied. His ridiculous smile was there as always, Cat knew it even though she couldn't see it. She turned her back to him and he unbuttoned her dress and helped her step out of it, folding it carefully on the bed. Cat breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her corset loosen, and it joined her dress. She was about to tell Jack he could go when she felt his lips on her shoulder, trailing kisses up her neck. He turned her sharply to face him, capturing her lips and drawing her against him. There was that same, alluring scent of rum and the salt air, the familiar warmth of his lips against hers and his arms wrapped around her. She shouldn't, she really shouldn't…

Cat put her hands up, ready to push him away-and suddenly wasn't sure if she really wanted to.

AN: So uh...leave a review and whatnot. Next chapter is one of my favorites.


	30. Breaking the Rules

Disclaimer: Legality, stuff.

AN: Okay, well, we're getting very close to the end here. And you know what that means. Actually, do you know what that means? I know what that means cause I'm writing this, but maybe the readers don't. Conundrum, yes. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Chapter Thirty: Breaking the Rules

"I am ready, I am ready, I am ready, I am fine" (Counting Crows)

Jack caught her hands, twining his fingers into hers , and held them away. "Don't keep doing this. It's ridiculous."

"What is?" Their faces were barely inches apart, and Cat stepped back slightly to look at him more clearly.

"This." Jack waved his hands, waving hers with him. "The pact, you being this way. It's stupid Cat. The pact is stupid. It was a stupid idea, and I'm tired of you denying that you want this."

"Jack, I-"

He cut her off, catching her lips and forcing them apart harshly, drawing her irresistibly into his kiss. Cat wrenched her hands away from his, twisting her fingers through his hair and drawing their bodies close. Her heart was suddenly racing, Jack could feel it beating through her thin bodice, and he felt vaguely powerful having caused it.

Cat was pulling away his coat, and he helped her, shrugging out of it and letting it fall to the floor. His thin linen shirt was next, and as he slipped it off he caught a glimpse of Cat's face. Her lips were slightly apart, and she was staring at the two round scars on his chest. She lifted two fingers and traced them, her eyes wide.

"Jack-what are these from?"

Trying to ignore the touch of her hands on his bare chest, Jack replied, "That was four years ago, after you were-gone. Royal Navy nearly got the Pearl, and they came even nearer to getting me."

"I wish I'd been…" Cat stopped in mid sentence, leaning her dark head on his shoulder. She was silent. Her breath washed over Jack's skin, and goosebumps prickled on his shoulder. One of his hands carelessly stroked her hair, and trailed down her neck, unfastening her necklace and tossing it onto the vanity table. The wide neckline of her bodice left her shoulders nearly bare. Jack dipped his head slightly, tracing her earlobe with the tip of his tongue. Cat wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cool hands flat on his back.

Leaving her ear and returning to her lips, Jack kissed Cat so sharply she fancied the faint taste of blood in her mouth. His hands, dexterous as a pickpocket's, loosened her hair and then slid down to the buttons of her bodice. He undid the top two buttons, then slipped his hand down, grazing her cool skin with his calloused fingers. Cat mumbled something against his lips as his warm palm cupped her breast, and pressed her body flush with his.

How badly Jack wanted her was suddenly very apparent. There was an insistent bulge pressing against her stomach. Cat smiled against his lips, letting her hand slide between them and trace the muscles of his stomach. Jack shuddered as her fingers paused on the waist of his breeches, teasing him. His skin radiated heat, and it washed over her like a wave as he broke their kiss.

"Now," he said, his voice very soft. "It's not nice to leave me in suspense like this."

"Oh really?" Cat's eyes smiled at him. "Well, I have been known for not being very nice."

Jack released the rest of the buttons of her bodice, it dove seductively down the center of her chest and he trailed his fingers down to her belly button and up again, very slowly. "How are you then?"

"Quite the devil, I've been told." She guided his hands inside the loose, thin cloth of her garment, molding his palms to her breasts. "But you'll have to form your own opinion, won't you Captain Sparrow?"

Her voice was quiet and low as she said his name, and Jack couldn't help himself anymore. He pushed her back onto the bed, kneeling over her and stripping away the last layers of her complex garments and kicking off his heavy boots at the same time. Cat's slim fingers found the knot of his red sash and loosened it, tossing it away to join her attire on the floor. She paused again at the waist of his pants, taunting him and toying with the button.

"I told you, it isn't nice," Jack murmured, his voice muffled against her skin. His breath tickled her throat as he left a line of kisses along her collarbone.

"Make me a promise, Captain," Cat whispered, fastening and unfastening the button.

"What sort of promise?" Jack answered. He placed a hard, sucking kiss on her shoulder- the kind to leave a mark.

"Jack!" Cat gasped, surprised. Her voice sent pleasurable chills through his body.

"What's the promise lass?" he asked again, letting his weight settle on top of her and leaning on his elbows.

"Promise me," Cat paused to slip a finger inside the waist of his breeches, "that this will be the best night I've ever spent."

Jack's dark eyes gleamed. "I swear it on the Pearl."

Jack lay in the dark later, sweat cooling on his tanned skin, listening to the sound of Cat breathing. She was laying with her head on his chest, on the verge of sleep, when suddenly she turned to look at him.

"Do you have a knife Jack?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Jack gave her an odd look, his eyes half lidded and pupils dilated in the dark. "Now listen, I realize we've had a good time-" and he had. Best in years; he felt wonderfully sated- "but I don't go for that kinky sort of thing."

"Neither do I," Cat replied. "That's not why I want it."

"Here." Jack reached over onto a bedside table, rummaged around in the dark, and found a small dagger.

Cat picked up his right hand, found his thumb, and sharply nicked a line through the scar on it. She did the same to her own hand, and pressed their thumbs together like years ago. Jack was stunned.

"What the hell.." he began. His mind was vaguely cloudy from the evening's pleasurable activities, and he gave Cat another look.

"The pact is gone," she said decisively. She used the dagger to cut two strips from the sheet, and bandaged their fingers.

"What?" Jack said again, rather incoherently.

"The pact is gone," Cat repeated. "It was stupid, Jack, and I finally saw why. We're pirates…breaking promises is sort of a prerequisite."

"So no more of the "you left me for dead?"

"Never again."

"And we can do this every night?"

"If we didn't, we would be adhering to the pact." Cat grinned at him.

Jack laughed low in his throat. "And that certainly isn't what we want."

Cat smiled again, leaning her head on his chest, just below the two scars, and shortly fell asleep. Jack watched her in the moonlight until his eyes became heavy, then he drifted off as well, and dreamt of Cat's voice calling his name in the dark.

AN: This is probably the chapter you've all been waiting for, haha.


	31. The Auction

Disclaimer: Should be here.

AN: Wow, sorry for the super long hiatus. I've been insanely busy lately. Anyway, this is the next to last chapter, so I hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with it!

Chapter Thirty-One: The Auction

"Is that me, baby? Or just a brilliant disguise?" (Springsteen)

"Cat." She felt someone poke her gently on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and turned over to face Jack. He looked tired, his tangled hair even messier than usual from sleep. Cat blinked once or twice and yawned.

"What? The sun's barely up."

"Today's the day, in case you forgot. We're getting the Pearl and the Moon back!" His face lit up briefly. "But not unless you get up and get yourself to the auction."

"Me? You're coming too," Cat pointed out.

"I am?"

"Aye. We're obviously not returning from the docks, unless you want to explain why neither of us is Alexander Powell."

"Oh." Jack hadn't thought about that. They would obviously have to set sail before anyone noticed that they weren't the Powells. He stretched and got up slowly, pulling the covers off Cat. Sighing, she got up as well and dug through her trunk for her black dress. Jack laced her corset for her, and then returned to packing his own things while she finished dressing. They left the room at nine, in time to make the auction at ten.

Jack was stationed near the ships with Cat's trunk and his own bag while Cat went up to join the waiting crowd. A group of potential buyers, almost all business associates of Alexander's, were standing at the street end of the dock. She hoped Alexander wouldn't be there, but hid herself at the back of the crowd just in case. It was a good thing she did, he appeared moments before the auctioneer began.

"Good morning everyone," he said. The auctioneer was an older man with greying hair. "I'm sure you are all aware of this morning's items. The ships will be sold as one lot, and the winner of the auction receives them both and their complete contents. Let us begin the bidding at fourteen hundred pounds."

Cat pulled on her wide black hat, hiding her face.

"Fourteen hundred," said a tall man to her left.

"I have fourteen hundred pounds, do I see sixteen hundred?" The auctioneer said quickly.

"Sixteen hundred." It was Alexander.

The bidding continued for several minutes, and the men dropped out one by one.

Cat kept silent, trying not to draw attention to herself yet. The price for the Moon and the Pearl rose to over three thousand pounds. When it reached thirty five hundred, all the bidders had dropped out except for Alexander and a red faced gentleman near the front of the crowd.

"Thirty seven hundred," the stranger said.

"Thirty eight," Alexander countered.

"Thirty nine."

Cat took a deep breath and pulled the brim of her hat lower. "Four thousand pounds," she said, lowering her voice below its normal tone.

Alexander and the red faced man both turned around to see who had spoken. The

crowd had thinned, and Cat was less obscured from view. She stepped to the side, letting the tall man block her from their vision. They turned again.

"Forty two," Alexander said.

"Sir?" the auctioneer said to the man in the front.

"No," he replied. "I'm out."

"Ma'am?"

"Forty four," Cat replied.

"Forty six."

"Forty eight." This couldn't go on. He would recognize her any minute.

"Five thousand," Alexander said.

Cat took the plunge. "Sixty five hundred pounds." She hoped Alexander would leave it; she was already scribbling out the check.

There was a pause from Alexander, and the auctioneer looked at him. "Going once…" silence. "Going twice…" nothing. "Sold to the young lady in the back. Have a good afternoon everyone."

The crowd dispersed quickly, chatting in businesslike tones. Cat rushed to the front, shoved the check into the auctioneer's hand, and wheeled around to make her escape. To her dismay, Alexander was behind her.

"Nicely done," he said. "They are a fine acquisition." He held out his hand.

Cat put her fingers into his palm. She could feel her voice getting ready to shake. "Thank you-I really must be going though Al-sir."

Dammit. She had slipped. Cat wrenched her hand from his grasp, but he was fast. Alexander pulled her hat off. He was dumbfounded.

"Catherine?"

"No, no…Cat…Cat Flynn…" She was backing up, trying to find the steps that led to the docks. Her foot caught the edge, and she turned and fled down the wooden planks. She could hear Alexander's footsteps sounding harshly behind her.

"Catherine! What are you talking about?!"

She found Jack next to the ships, and gasped at him. "Jack! Go now! Get the Pearl an' go!"

Ready to turn for the Moon, he caught her arm. "Neither of us can sail a ship alone. The crews aren't here yet. They were waiting for the signal." He showed her the unfired pistol in his hand. They had spent the weeks since their arrival in Port Royal tracking down old crew members and finding new ones. The crews were waiting for them somewhere in the harbor, waiting for the gunshot signal to sail the ships away. They hadn't expected this.

"Then we'll take the Pearl. Come on."

"You're leaving the Moon here?"

Cat could hear Alexander's footsteps approaching from the far end of the dock. He wasn't alone.

"Jack, you love the Pearl more than anything, an I told you we would get it back. Now get on the damn ship or we won't have either of them."

Jack looked once at her eyes, blazing and frenzied, and grabbed the rope that led onto the Pearl's deck. They climbed it, Jack half dragging her up while she held their luggage, and tumbled aboard. Jack slashed the rope wildly as Alexander tried to climb it, and Cat's former husband fell to the dock with a thump.

"Take the helm," Jack called, hurrying to unfurl the sails. There was a frenzy of motion as they unrolled, flapping in the eastward breeze. Cat spun the wheel as far left as it would go and turned them out of the harbor. The moorings snapped as the Pearl pulled away from the dock, leaving Alexander and his friends there, shocked.

"Catherine! What is this?!" he yelled at the ship.

"Cat Flynn!" she called back. "Captain Cat Flynn!"

"What?"

Alexander's mouth was still moving, but the wind carried his words away. Cat turned around to see what Jack was doing, and was shocked to see the Moon moving out of the harbor behind them. The crew was on board, she could see Gibbs at the helm. In the confusion with Alexander, no one had noticed the other ship leaving. Jack was standing in the crow's nest, and he waved at the other ship as they sailed out of the harbor at top speed. It was the last time Cat would ever see Alexander Powell.

AN: Next...the final chapter! Drop me a review!


	32. Into the Sunset

AN: So, we've arrived. Last chapter, everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed reading this! Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to review! Keep an eye out for updates on Pearls and Pirates, and maybe something else with Cat eventually, if I ever get free time. Anyhow, for now, a big THANKS! and enjoy the last chapter...

Chapter Thirty-Two: Into the Sunset

"The devil's water it ain't so sweet, you don't have to drink right now/ But you can dip your feet, every once in a little while..." (The Killers)

The Pearl and the Moon docked off the coast of San Isadore Island five days later. A boat was sent into Tortuga for rum in massive quantities, and there was a party that night on the Pearl. The crews were having a grand time, but Jack and Cat slipped away from the festivities, having stolen a bottle or two of the rum.

Jack locked the door of his cabin behind them, and turned to Cat. She came forward and wrapped her arms around him loosely, looking up at him.

"Now, Captain, it isn't exactly your first night back on the Pearl, so if you don't want to go through with the previously suggested activity of the evening, I'll understand completely," Cat said, smiling quietly.

Jack made no reply. He kissed her sharply, his mouth consuming hers completely and enjoyably. She had waited during the voyage to Tortuga for even a few moments alone with Jack, and so was disgusted when there was a knock at the door.

"Captain?" an unidentified sailor's voice came through the wood. Jack made a face. "Are you there?"

"Sod off," Jack replied. "That's an order Williams."

"Sorry sir. I was just wondering if you'd seen Captain Flynn. We were looking for her."

"If I see her, I'll be sure to pass the message on," Jack said impatiently.

"Thank you Captain."

Williams was heard retreating down the hallway. "Oh, Williams says they're looking for you," Jack said, winking.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to tell him he can go keelhaul himself next time I see him." Cat grinned at Jack, and he bent his head for another kiss. He was slowly sliding off her black shirt when another knock sounded.

"Captain Flynn? Captain Sparrow?" It was Jenkins.

"Captain Sparrow isn't here," Cat answered, struggling to keep from laughing. Jack was tickling her mercilessly, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "He's…well, somewhere else. I would suggest looking for him there. Stop Jack!" she hissed quietly at Jack. He continued tickling her.

"What was that Captain?"

"Oh, erm, I said, he might be on the …top deck…"

"All right then. Thanks."

Jack shot the door an evil look as Jenkins left. "The next person who knocks on that door is going to have my boot acquainted with their arse."

"Not if I get to them first," Cat replied. Jack had stopped tickling her finally, and he slipped the black shirt off. Her thin red camisole belied every contour of her body to him, and Jack held her at arm's length and studied her for a moment.

"You're a bonny one." He pulled her back to him. "I noticed it the first time we met."

"Not too bad yourself."

Cat kissed his neck, sliding her tongue along his throat. She could feel the vibrations as he mumbled into her hair. Her hands traced down his chest, unbuttoning his loose shirt along the way and pulling it off. His chest rose deeply with his breath as Cat trailed a few kisses along his jawline, over his cheek and back onto his lips, biting his lower lip gently. She wrapped a leg around Jack's waist, and he picked her up suddenly and carried her over to the bed.

His hands caught the hem of her shirt as he laid her back, and he pulled it over her head and examined her in the glowing lanternlight.

"Beautiful," he muttered softly. Cat sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist. His palms, worn smooth by the sand and salt, roamed across her skin agilely, finding the small of her back and pressing their bodies together. There was a subtlety in Jack's movements, but none existed in the obviousness of his desire for her.

Cat slid her hand down his side, turning in at his waist and then downward, watching his eyes darken to near black.

"Torture, isn't it?" she asked teasingly, her lips just brushing his.

"You have no idea," Jack replied, followed by a low sound in his throat as her fingers shifted.

"End it then," Cat whispered.

Jack caught her mouth and kissed her deeply. Cat could taste the sweetness of rum as his tongue grazed her palate. He pushed her back onto the bed, leaning lightly on top of her.

"Welcome home Captain Sparrow," Cat whispered into his hair as Jack trailed kisses down the center of her chest. "Requests this evening?"

"Plenty." Jack pressed her lips to his ear, whispering into it. Cat smiled, and Jack grinned back at her, a gold tooth glinting in the lantern's uneven light.

"Your wish," she said, and pulled him down onto her.

Jack and Cat were standing near the helm of the Pearl the next morning, and they overheard one of the crew speaking to another.

"Captain has the strangest dreams sometimes," he was saying.

"What about them?" the other prompted.

"Like last night. He was alone, 'cause we asked about Cap'n Flynn and he was then, but it sounded damn like a woman's voice saying Jack. Quite a ruckus too, mind you. I thought the bloody timbers were going to crack with all his tossing an turning."

Cat had her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, but Jack seemed composed.

"Have you never had a dream, lad?" he asked sharply.

"Oh, no, Captain, I have. Yours was just…particularly violent sir," the young crew member stammered.

"It was an exceptional dream," Jack said, smiling. "Captain Flynn, I believe I owe you a visit on the Moon."

He hooked an arm through Cat's, as they walked across a plank to her ship's deck. There, Cat adjusted the helm. Jack was standing to her right.

"Where are we going next?"

"Well, Captain Sparrow, somewhere out there, some very deprived gold is just waiting to be plundered. It doesn't know all the fun it's been missing."

Jack smiled. "Sounds like an admirable plan. Wish I'd thought of it."

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to think of a good one before we get to Aruba."

"Aruba? Never been there. Are there devils?"

"And black sheep, and really bad eggs." Cat grinned and pulled Jack's flask from his pocket. "Drink up me hearty."


End file.
